The Meaning of Us
by Caelion
Summary: Nanoha has fallen in love with someone she wasn't supposed to fall for. Will her unusual feelings bring her even closer to that person? Strengthen the bonds they already have? Or... tear them apart? AU, mostly Nanoha centric. 08.28.2012: Revised.
1. Prologue

**A/N: I dedicate my first story to Satashi, whose writings inspired my way and gave me motivation to write on my own. Thank you, I wish I had a chance to talk with you.**

All chapters have been revised, I corrected mistakes and added a few details here and there. Nothing major, you can consider it a better version of what I have written before.

* * *

**The Meaning of Us**

**Prologue  
**

**By: Caelion  
**

It was almost half past midnight when I woke up. I tried to get up but she pressed her front closer to my back. I stopped immediately and carefully lay down on bed again. After all I didn't want to wake her up.

I closed my eyes in attempt to sleep again and waited. And waited. Minute by minute, time was passing by ever so slowly but somehow I stayed awake. In times like this I usually started to think. About me, about her, about... us.

Why was I there, with her, in the first place? It had happened a few years ago. I woke up late at night having a nightmare. I was scarred, I couldn't help it, so I went to Fate-chan's room and asked her if we could sleep together for that one night. She agreed but the bad dreams hadn't stopped repeating themselves. And because of it, and Fate-chan being Fate-chan of course (she insisted to help me with curing my nightmare-caused insomnia after that), we somehow made a habit of sleeping together.

I couldn't say that I didn't like it. In fact... it was rather the opposite. Despite all the playful comments from the rest of my family, considering our age. _"Let them laugh if they want to. I'll always be there for you."_ Her words were so simple yet they meant so much to me.

Needless to say, the two of us had always been close. We'd been together whenever we could, always holding hands or just touching. There was a time when mom said that if she didn't know us, she would mistake us for a couple. It hurt. Even a long time after that, whenever I thought about it. Because I couldn't stop myself from imagining how things would go if we really were like that.

I wondered when it had begun. I had always liked spending time with her. When we started hitting our teenage years, I started to notice her more. In _that_ way, I mean. She grew even taller than me (and our friends had always been saying that I was the tall one), from a pretty girl she changed into a beautiful woman.

I really liked looking at her. Her slender arms, ample chest, flat tummy, long, golden hair. Her skin was so smooth and pale but still gorgeous, with nice scent attached to it. Her body was always warm and soft.

And her eyes. God, how I _loved_ her deep, red eyes. They had that gentle and caring look, the one I wanted to be meant only for me. And I felt really selfish because of this one, little wish.

Sometimes I also felt a little guilty for taking pleasure in watching her like that. Or touching her like that. She didn't know and that was why. She was just smiling at me and hugging me, and I was trying to not think about anything perverted.

Anyway, I had somehow knew that it might end up this way. As if I expected the feelings that came to me. The point lied in realisation.

I had realised everything about four years ago. We were heading home after school when that boy from our class appeared, telling her that he wanted to talk. I knew that he liked her. It wasn't the first time when someone was going to confess their feelings to her, she was very popular after all. But that time it was different. That time I was there, I saw it, I felt my breath becoming heavier as I silently waited for her answer. Even if I should be happy for her, I couldn't. So I excused myself and walked home, leaving her confused.

Back then I didn't know why I behaved like this, like a spoiled child, however, the effect was the one I subconsciously desired for. She politely turned him down and ran after me. Even if she acted like nothing happened, there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. But was it because of him or... because of me?

That was when I had realised that I liked her in the way I shouldn't. That almost everything in her attracted me. And that I couldn't tell her anything about it. I could not destroy the relationship we'd managed to build for all this years.

I accepted those feelings as a part of me. My mom had always been telling me that heart doesn't really listen to one's mind. How could I hate myself for something I couldn't control? I could, but I knew that she would be sad if I thought about it in that way. If she only knew, of course. And I didn't want to make her sad so I must had been strong, I was going to live through it.

And so I was there. Lying in her bed, with the full Moon shining on my eyes, and her, hidden behind me, gently breathing on my neck.

I could be someone whom people could call 'normal'. If it wasn't for my secret. The one I had to keep to myself carefully. The one I could not afford to spill.

My name is Takamachi Nanoha. I'm twenty years old and I'm in love with my sister.

* * *

**A/N:** And here it is, my first published story. Liked it? I'm glad that I managed to entertain you. Hated it? Well, maybe it's not your cup of tea but still I'd like to know what annoyed you the most. Did you spot a grammar mistake(s)? Please, write me about it in review, English is not my first language.

I really appreciate any kind of feedback and constructive criticism you can give me. I want to improve as a writer and your comments will be very helpful to me. Flames will be ignored.

The first actual chapter will be posted in a few days after doing some proofreading.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Thank you for your reviews, I'm really surprised how much of you decided to write me a comment. I'm going to do my best.

Okay, here we go, enjoy:

* * *

**The Meaning of Us**

**Chapter 1  
**

**By: Caelion**

"So... what do you want to tell me?"

"Um... I- I love you!"

"I know, I love you too."

"I mean- in that way. Like, you know... I'd like you to be my girlfriend."

"Wait, but... you don't mean- but we're both girls-"

"I know! I just... wanted you to... know what I feel..."

"I... appreciate it but... I'm sorry, I cant return your feelings-"

Nanoha turned off the TV, her eyebrow twitching lightly. "Why can't those things just go well at least in movies...?" She groaned. She was bored. So terribly bored. She managed to finish all her university projects in one afternoon, just because Fate had had to stay late on her lecture. It didn't really matter to her that all the work had been given to her only a day before. The most important thing was that she still had almost half an hour 'till her sister's return.

She got up from a small sofa in Fate's room, sat on her bed, opposite the window, and watched the setting sun. The scenery was simple yet beautiful; orange and slightly reddish rays lightened the sky, as if setting the horizon on fire.

All of it reminded Nanoha of the blonde's beautiful eyes. She got up again and left her sister's room this time. She went through the living room, where her mothers were usually spending their evenings, remembering that this day they went to pay a visit to their friend Lindy. Her step-brother and step-sister, Kyouya and Miyuki, were also out and weren't going to come back until the midnight. She was all alone in her family residence and Takamachi Nanoha wasn't used to being alone at all.

With a hint of resignation she changed her boots and went outside of their large house. She locked the front door and slowly headed towards the University of Uminari. All things considered, it was the best way to meet with Fate a little sooner. She walked slowly, lazily looking around. Most of people living in her neighbourhood were outside, mowing their lawns or just resting in front of their houses.

"Good evening, Nanoha-chan!" she heard an old woman's voice from her left side. "Hey, how are you today, Nanoha-san?" this time a young man from her right. She put a smile on her face again, politely answering her neighbours. Her family was the one people respected, no matter how odd could things look for strangers. Her biological mother, Takamachi Precia, was a scientist, currently working at the city's university of technology. Her step-mother, Takamachi Momoko, owned a bakery along with her ex-husband, now really close friend, Shiro.

Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice calling her name. "Ah, Nanoha-san, not with your sister? How rare." This voice, it could be only...

"Signum-san, good evening to you," The younger female answered happily, turning around. "Going back from work?" She asked, glad that she had finally met someone closer to her to chat with.

"Yes, I thought about taking a walk instead of a bus." Signum said with her usual, serious tone. "What about you? Have you had a fight with Testarossa?" The older one asked in a playfully teasing manner, making Nanoha burst out with laughter.

"A fight? No way, she had to stay late on her lecture." She explained. "I'm going to meet her in a half-way."

"How sweet." Signum teased lightly. "I swear, if I didn't know you, I'd think that you are a couple."

Stab.

"Signum-san, please, don't joke like this." Nanoha tried to sound as natural as she could, despite the sudden loss of cheerfulness in her voice.

"Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you." The woman said immediately, sensing the change in her friend's mood.

"I- It's okay." The brunette answered, taken aback a little by her companion's formality.

Seeing it, Signum tried to change the topic for a more neutral one. "So, how are your studies going?" She asked with curiosity.

"It's really fun, you know?" Nanoha mentally thanked the pink-haired woman for not asking about her earlier behaviour. "I met so much new people, even some of my old friends attend the same university as me." And of course Fate too...

"I'm glad to hear it. Hayate was also very pleased to have some of the old company." Signum responded and went further with the topic. "Do you have any plans for your future career?"

Nanoha mused over the question. "Hmm, not really." She answered honestly after a short while. "I guess I'm going to graduate for now."

"I understand, good luck then. If you want to clear your mind before making the choice, feel free to come to my dojo."

"Ah, thank you but lately I'm not in a mood for fighting." The brunette politely rejected the offer.

"As you wish, that way or another, my knowledge is still at your service." Signum said proudly, making Nanoha smile again from this little gesture.

They chatted like this for a few minutes, enjoying each other's company. "Well, that's where we split up." The pink-haired one said after reaching a small crossroad. "Take care and give my best regards to Testarossa."

"Thank you, Signum-san, you too take care of yourself." Nanoha smiled and waved her hand lightly, going in the opposite direction.

* * *

It was getting darker, street lights got turned on and the air became a little cooler. Nanoha crossed her arms, immediately regretting not taking her coat. She considered running back to the house to take it and even turned around when suddenly a pair of hands pulled her into a warm hug. Familiar scent hit her nose as gentle and melodic voice filled her ears.

"Good evening Nanoha, I didn't expect to see you here"

"Fate-chan!" She squealed. "I'm sorry, I- I didn't see you." She turned around to face her sister and returned the hug.

"Where are you going clothed so lightly?" Fate asked, not even bothering to hide her amusement.

"I was bored with staying alone in the house so I went to pick you up from the University." Nanoha answered and shivered a little when cool wind blew lightly on her back.

"Hey, you will catch a cold if you walk dressed like that in the evening." Fate said with concern. "Days are warm but nights still can be cold."

"Ah, I'm so- Eeeh? Fate-chan, what are you doing?" She asked, surprised, when the blonde started undoing buttons of her coat.

"Here." Fate handed the clothing to Nanoha. "I can't let my sister freeze." She added with a smile.

"But what about you?" Nanoha countered, still hesitating.

"I'm fine, to be honest, I was starting to feel a little hot from all this walking." Fate shoot down Nanoha's indecision easily and watched her as she was putting on the coat in silence.

"Mou, Fate-chan," The brunette groaned playfully. "If you catch a cold, you'll be at my mercy."

"I'd be more than glad to leave myself in your care." Fate teased, watching her sister's face getting a little red.

"Just be careful what you wish for, Fate-chan." Nanoha didn't give up. "I can be really... strict when it comes to nursing." She giggled along with the other. "Hey, Fate-chan," she started with the more serious tone as she took her sister's hand.

"Yes?" Curiosity apparent.

'Just what was that? What was I going to tell her?' Nanoha scolded herself mentally. "Um, it's nothing."

"If you say so." Fate replied with a hint of disappointment. "How was your day?" She changed the topic.

"Aww, it was so boring that I finished all of my projects this afternoon. And yours?"

"Tiring, I was at the university for the whole day." She said and turned her head towards the brunette. "By the way, I hope you didn't overworked yourself again? I know your strange habits of working without taking brakes." She said in a half serious way.

"Ahaha," _'Busted,'_ Nanoha laughed nervously and continued. "It was a very pleasant and light work. Besides, I have the rest of the day off."

"That's good, I wanted to spend this evening with you." Fate answered with a light smile on her face again.

"Hm? And what do you want to do?" This time Nanoha was curious.

"Cuddle."

"That was a straightforward one." She replied laughing. Looking at the road before her, Nanoha realised that being with Fate meant something more than just talking or laughing together. The blonde was a strange ability to ease Nanoha's mind, cleansing all stress that the brunette was going through. Something which Nanoha didn't want to loose. Maybe staying like this wouldn't be that bad? At least for now. She gripped her sister's hand a little harder as their house came into her view.

* * *

Their mothers had come home before the two students came back. As always, they welcomed them with open arms and two cups of hot, green tea. Both Nanoha and Fate were really thankful to have such a loving family. Momoko's appearance in their lives was the best thing that happened to them since their father's death eleven years ago.

At first it was hard. Living only with their mother for almost five years, then dealing with her new relationship with Momoko. People say that beginnings are always difficult and this time it wasn't different. But both of their mothers were so understanding, always going out of their way for their children. And their new siblings, Kyouya and Miyuki, turned out to be really nice people.

But the person who helped their family the most was no one else but their father's sister, Lindy. Precia's and Momoko's dear friend. The two of them met thanks to her. They fell in love with each other and overcame their problems because she was there with them. And because of it they were able to create this happy family.

"So, how are things with aunt Lindy?" Nanoha, as ever, was the one who started conversation. "It's been a few months since I last talked with her, I think I'll pay her a visit after my exams."

"She's fine as always, but her son, Chrono, is an impressive one, he got himself a really cute girlfriend." Momoko chirped, inviting the other brunette to sit next to her.

"Really?" Nanoha asked curiously. "Let me guess... is it Amy-san?"

"Yes, it's her, that childhood friend of him." Her mother confirmed. "Oh, and I talked with Arf for a while, she's still such a nice girl."

Fate sat down on the couch, picked up a rather large, grey cat and put it on her lap. "Come on Linith, I haven't seen you all day." She whispered and started to pet the cat. Then she looked at her sister and her step-mother chatting together lively. And she couldn't help but notice how happy and lively Nanoha was which, to be honest, made the blonde's heart flutter.

"They paired together quite nicely, didn't they?" Precia's voice pulled Fate out of her thoughts. The black-haired woman sat close to the blonde and watched the other two along with her.

"Yes, I'm amazed that there is someone even more chatty than Nanoha." She joked. Seeing her mother's caring look, as she watched Momoko, she asked. "You really love her, mother, don't you?"

"She is my life." Precia answered honestly. "Along with you two of course." She added quickly with a smile and put her hand around her daughter, hugging her lightly.

"Thank you." Fate responded, kissing her mother's cheek. "For everything you do for us."

"You're welcome." Precia replied contently, closing her eyes.

Linith started to purr and fell asleep on the blonde's lap.

* * *

"Um, Fate-chan?"

"Yes?"

"Please, be careful, you know I'm easily scared when it comes to those things."

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you."

"I know but- hey, why are you smiling like that?"

"Easy, just lay still."

"Okay. Be gentle, please?"

"I'll try, don't move."

"Ow! It hurt!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I had to touch your eye to pull out the dust." Fate leaned down and kissed Nanoha's closed eyelid. "How do you feel now?"

"It's so much better, thank you." Nanoha answered with a smile, her head still lying on Fate's lap. She sat up after a while and hugged her sister from behind, placing her chin on her right arm and connecting their cheeks.

"Someone is really touchy tonight." The blonde giggled and leaned her head a little to the right side, enjoying the other's warmth.

"I'm sorry, I just... kind of... wanted to do this for a while."

"It's okay, don't apologize for such a small thing." The blonde caressed the other's cheek gently. "You can do this whenever you want to, we're sisters after all."

"Um, we are." Nanoha whispered."When we were little girls we could do this all the time." She brought back a memory of their childhood. "Now, when we are older, it's becoming harder and harder." She said and Fate couldn't help but feel sadness in her sister's voice.

"Maybe it's because now we know new... meanings of touching the other person." She answered thoughtfully. "Say, Nanoha, are you uncomfortable with me?" She asked suddenly, trying to hide her anxiety.

"Uncomfortable? What do you mean? I don't- No, of course not," Nanoha reassured her sister. "I would never be uncomfortable with Fate-chan." She closed her eyes and tightened her hug.

"Sorry, I don't know why I even asked you this." Fate answered after a while. "I just worry about you when you are like this. It makes me think that something bad happened to you, or that I did something in a wrong way." She said honestly. "And you have a habit of hiding your problems until you can't take it any more-"

"Shh." Nanoha silenced her sister by placing a finger on the girl's lips. "Everything is okay. I'm just a little sleepy so let's go to bed, okay?" She masked her melancholy with a smile. After all, the reason was not to be told. And especially if it was Fate.

"Okay." The blonde faced the Nanoha. "Just remember, if you want to talk, I'll always be there for you." With that she pulled the brunette into another hug. "By the way, where do you want to sleep?"

"Could we stay in your room for one more night? Since we're here anyway."

"Sure, I'm going to prepare a bath, and you," Fate playfully poked Nanoha's nose. "Go and make the bed, your turn tonight." She added with a wink.

* * *

Morning came quickly and Nanoha groaned silently when her phone started to ring, desperately trying to wake her up. She reached out her hand as far as she could, still being tightly held by Fate, and tried to grab the noisy device but failed miserably, throwing it down in the end. Finally, she managed to turn off her alarm but going back to bed was out of question. Her sister was already awake.

"Good morning, Nanoha." The blonde greeted her, yawning lightly, and gave her a small kiss on the forehead.

"Ah! Good morning, Fate-chan." Nanoha got slightly red from the other girl's sudden action.

Kissing like that wasn't anything new to them. They often kissed each other on their cheeks, foreheads or temples. Every occasion was good, 'a good morning kiss', 'a good night kiss', but they knew that no reason was really necessary. However, even if things were like that, all kind of physical contact with Fate was succesfully increasing Nanoha's heartbeat, more or less.

Finally, the two got up and started to get ready for their day. "What do you want to eat for breakfast, Fate-chan?" The brunette asked, putting on her bathrobe and heading towards the door.

"Hm, I think I'll go for sausages." Fate answered, opening her drawer.

"Okay, I'll go and prepare a meal, you can go to bathroom first."

After fifteen minutes both met in the kitchen, Nanoha making their breakfast and lunch and Fate brewing some tea. "Hey, Fate-chan, today we meet with everyone for lunch, right?"

"Yes, I'll come to pick you up after my lecture." She poured the hot tea into their matching mugs, signed with their names written in paint which changed it's colour along with temperature. "Ah, I heard in radio that today is going to be warm." The blonde added. "Don't dress too thickly."

* * *

"You call this warm Fate-chan? It's so hot today, I'm going to melt!" Nanoha voiced out her complaint.

"I told you that we should eat inside, you're the one who wanted to go on the rooftop." The blonde countered.

"But I wanted to breathe some fresh air. I spent half of the day in the auditorium, how could I know that it's so hot outside?"

"Shush, both of you! Honestly, you argue like an old, married couple, are you two sisters for real?" The third voice suddenly joined their little argument. Another, this time short-haired and a little smaller, blonde appeared with an angry expression on her face.

"Easy, Arisa-chan, it's okay." The purple-haired girl that followed her started to calm down her pouting friend. Then she turned to the other two. "Wednesday is the only day when we all have some free time between our lectures, please, don't be like this." She said and gave them an honest smile.

"We're sorry, Arisa-chan, Suzuka-chan." Fate and Nanoha answered in unison, instantly forgetting about their earlier 'difference in opinions', as they usually called it.

"Where are the others?" Arisa asked curiously. "Me and Suzuka are usually the last ones here."

"Hayate-chan had something to discuss with our physics lecturer, she should be here soon." Nanoha explained. "As for Yuuno-kun, as far as I remember, he has an exam right now, he'll probably drop by later."

Suddenly, Fate spoke. "Ah, I've just remembered, I invited one of my new friends from my specialisation, if you don't mind."

"Of course we don't mind." Suzuka said with her usual smile and turned her head to the smaller blonde. "Right? Arisa-chan?"

"This girl you sometimes talk about?" Nanoha asked and, seeing her sister nodding her head, she added. "So I'm finally going to meet her, actually, I also invited someone I got to know lately. They'll come here along with Hayate-chan."

"Speak of the devil." Arisa interjected.

"Good afternoon, everyone!" Hayate was cheerful as always. Following her was a girl with short, blue hair.

"Good afternoon, my name is Nakajima Subaru, nice to meet you." The girl introduced herself to the group. Seeing smiles on their faces, she added. "You can call me Subaru."

"I'm Fate T. Harlaown, nice to meet you too." The taller blonde bowed lightly. "I'm Nanoha's twin."

Suzuka and Arisa were going to do the same when the second new person came. This time it was a tall girl with orange hair. "Good afternoon-" She started and stopped suddenly. "Subaru? What are you doing here?"

"You know each other?" Asked a little surprised Fate, looking at the both of newcomers.

"Ah, Tia!" Subaru called the other one, immediately going to her side. "This is Teana Lanster, my roommate." She introduced her friend to the rest.

"Um, forgive my rudeness," The other bowed her head. "Nice to meet you." She finished, a little embarrassed.

"It's okay, nice to meet you too, I'm Takamachi Nanoha." The brunette broke the ice.

Introductions were made, lunches were eaten and soon everyone was chatting with each other lively. It quickly became clear that both Subaru and Tia were on a good way to become a part of the group.

"Um, Nanoha-san, Fate-san, can I ask you something?" Subaru started suddenly, having a curious expression on her face.

"Sure, go ahead." The brunette offered her a kind smile.

"You two are sisters, right?" She voiced her question, looking both at Nanoha and Fate. When the two nodded, she continued. "So why do you have different surnames? It's been bugging me for a while, I'm sorry if it's something I shouldn't ask."

"No, it's all right." Nanoha took the initiative. "Harlaown was our father's surname. We really got along with each other, so a few years after his death, when our mother changed her surname due to her remarriage, Fate-chan took his last name and made it a part of hers in remembrance of him."

Subaru nodded her head in understanding manner.

"Besides, the 'T' stands for 'Takamachi' so we really have the same last names." Added Fate, smiling lightly.

"Ah, thank you. I think I shouldn't have asked after all." The blue-haired girl seemed a little down.

"Don't worry about it." Fate reassured her. "But there's a thing I'd like to know." Her voice was mild and friendly. "Are you on the same specialisation as Nanoha? You don't look like somebody who likes watching stars."

"Ah, no, I'm on astronautics. I want to become a part of a space shuttle's crew." The girl cheered up instantly. "I met Nanoha-san a week ago on our shared activities. We were in the same group." Then she looked at Suzuka and Arisa who were listening to her with interest. "And what about you two? I heard from Nanoha-san that you are her childhood friends. What are you studying?"

"I'm on mechanical engineering." Suzuka was the first one to answer. "I love taking apart machines."

"My specialisation is Corporate Finance and Accounting. I'm going to take over my family's company after my graduation." Arisa couldn't help but feel a little proud.

"Wow, I'm envious of you, to have your future planned already. I'm not sure what to do after graduation." Tia voiced out her admiration.

Subaru quickly came to her rescue. "Don't worry, Tia, I'm sure you'll find something for yourself."

"I know!" The other one responded. "I was just saying that it's impressive to have such plans so early."

* * *

Time was passing by quickly and soon they all had to get back on their lectures. It was almost three pm, Fate had to stay two more hours at the university, while Nanoha had just one more left.

"So, Fate-chan, we'll meet in two hours, right?" Nanoha asked, looking in Fate's eyes. "I'll wait for you in the reading-room. Come there when your classes end." The brunette said taking her sister's hand. "I need to make some final revisions, I have my physics exam a day after tomorrow."

"Okay, good luck then." Fate smiled at her sister and kissed her forehead. "Good luck kiss." She said, giggling a little.

"F- Fate-chan!" The other's face got red instantly. "Y- You know, I don't mind kissing with you, I mean, you kissing me but we are in public and such..." She mumbled, getting more and more red, while the other one just burst out with laughter. "H- Hey, don't laugh! You meanie..."

A few meters away...

"Are they really sisters?" Subaru asked innocently, pointing at the two.

Arisa just pouted again. "Don't worry, I know them for almost twenty years and I still have my doubts."

* * *

**A/N:** I know that this chapter probably was a bit boring but I needed to present the whole AU. Even now I feel that some things need their own explanations and I somehow couldn't mix them into the story.

For example: Nanoha and Hayate studying astronomy. It really doesn't connect with my own hobbies and such, it's just that I've always seen the MGLN heroines as some kind of space girls. By the way, yes, Subaru and Tia are also twenty years old. I want to use as many canon characters as I can instead of creating some OC's.

Some things will be explained later so I'll just leave them be for now.

As for the second chapter, my holidays start the day after tomorrow and I hope to post the next part this weekend. It's already longer than this one.

Until then, take care and, one more time, thanks for comments.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Oh my... I'm sorry for this terrible delay, when my holidays started I took too many projects in the same time and ended up loosing interest in some of them. But now I'm back and I'm determined to finish what I started. I hope that this almost 6k words long chapter will repay you for the time you had to wait.

eries326: I'm glad that you gave it a chance but still I need to say it. They are biological sisters. It's a major part of a plot and I don't want something that important to be unclear. It's okay to ask about things like that though, it's a sign for me that I probably overlooked the matter and didn't make it clear enough. I'll pay more attention to it in the future.

Thank you for your comments and have a nice read.

* * *

**The Meaning of Us**

**Chapter 2  
**

**By: Caelion  
**

Einstein's theory says that, for given object, time passes by the fastest, when the speed of this object equals zero. But even knowing this, Nanoha still looked at her wrist watch as she was sitting on bench in front of Fate's faculty. And time had never passed by so slowly for her as in that moment.

This day the two had their last exams. Nanoha has already finished hers and she was waiting for her sister. Finally, they were able to spend whole days with each other. It was their small tradition since elementary school. When Fate finally came out of the building, the brunette couldn't help but run to her, showering her with questions.

"So, how was it? Easy? Difficult? Did you do well?" Nanoha's eyes were literally sparkling.

"It was pretty easy, the questions were long however, that's why it took me some time to answer them." Fate smiled at the brunette, took her hand and both of them started walking side by side. "So now, when we have some time for ourselves, how about going for a walk instead of heading home?"

"Sure, we have almost two hours until dinner." Nanoha said, her voice more cheerful than usual.

"You look really happy, has something good happened to you today?" The blonde asked mildly.

"Hm, not really, I guess I'm just in a good mood." Nanoha stopped for a while, lost in thoughts. "I think it's because our holidays just started." She added happily and offered her sister a big, honest smile.

"Um, you're right. From now on, we can spend a lot of time together." They were walking slowly with their hands clasped together, ignoring strange looks that other people were giving them. Nanoha was humming lightly while Fate was listening to her joyful melody. Finally, they entered the city park. They turned into an empty alley and sat on the bench in the shade of a large tree behind them.

"So, Fate-chan, how do you want to spend the holidays?" The brunette asked and rested her head on Fate's arm.

"I wonder..." The blonde looked at the blue sky above them and spoke again. "Our mothers haven't made any plans for this year yet. Maybe they want us to organise something on our own?"

"Do you think so?" Nanoha pondered on the question. "Then I want to go somewhere just with you." She said and realised how possessively it sounded. "If you'd like to, of course." She added quickly.

"I would." Fate responded without hesitation. "I have always wanted to see Kyoto with you."

"It's a good idea, we could visit all those big shrines." She said and opened her mouth to add something else when her phone rang. "Oh, wait a second Fate-chan, I've got a message." She picked up the device from her purse and started reading. "It's from Hayate-chan, she invites us for a dinner tonight. Do you want to go? We haven't seen her family for a while."

"Fine with me," Fate answered. "I'll finally get to talk with Signum-san, she spends more and more time in her dojo lately. We just have to tell mothers that we won't eat at home today."

"So how about going back now?" Nanoha asked and got up. "We need to change our clothes anyway."

* * *

"Ah, good evening, Nanoha-chan, Fate-chan." Hayate greeted them as she moved to the side, letting them in. Then she quickly excused herself and went to the kitchen, called by Shamal's voice.

"Pardon the intrusion." Both sisters said in unison as they entered Hayate's house. "Good evening, everyone."

"Ah, Testarossa." Signum suddenly appeared before them. "It's been a long time." She said in her usual, serious tone but still offered her a small smile.

"You still call me that." Fate reciprocated the gesture.

"Of course I do. This story is too funny to forget it. Besides, Nanoha-san said that she still has those pictures."

"Nanoha! You were supposed to keep it a secret!" The blonde's face became red as she turned to her sister.

"I'm sorry Fate-chan, I couldn't stop myself from telling her." Nanoha tried to explain herself with the best innocent smile she could put on her face.

"Nevertheless," Signum faced the brunette this time. "I'd like to borrow your sister for a while."

"Go ahead, I'll go and help Hayate-chan in the kitchen." She started walking but suddenly froze, stopped by an angry voice.

"Hey, guests should stay away from work." A small, red-haired girl entered the hall, as the two women left. "Hayate wanted me to keep an eye on you, so you won't do anything unnecessary."

"Um, did she?" Nanoha laughed nervously. _'Crap, she saw through me.' _"How are you doing Vita-chan?" She changed the topic, ruffling the little girl's hair. "You grew taller again."

"Oy, stop it!" She tried tu escape but the brunette was faster.

"You're not running away this time." Nanoha sang, hugging the girl. "Fate-chan went to talk with Signum-san so you have to accompany me." She said and stood up, holding Vita's hand. "How cute!" She added when the child pouted. They both went to a large guest-room and sat on a huge, black sofa. In fact, only Nanoha was sitting on the sofa while Vita was on her lap. "Hahaha, I have always wanted to have a little sister!" She laughed, still hugging the other.

"Hey! I told you to stop it! Don't you have Fate to hug?" The red-haired one was really annoyed.

"I do, but with Fate-chan it's different..." Nanoha stopped and got lost in thoughts for a while. "I mean, she is an adult now but as a child she was also very cute." She said with a mild voice. "Just like you!" She added and hugged Vita once more.

"Dinner is ready!" Hayate's voice suddenly rang out in the house. The little girl sighed in relief as Nanoha got up and went to the kitchen along with her, soon joined by Fate and Signum. The amount of food prepared were incredible, then again, there were six people eating and one dog. Zafira was already enjoying his portion, meanwhile Hayate and Shamal were waiting for the rest.

"Nanoha-chan, Fate-chan, do you want a helping? You've both ate quite fast." Shamal asked after some time when both sisters thanked for the meal.

"Ah, thank you very much, Shamal-san, but we're already full." Nanoha answered and Fate nodded her head in agreement.

"Go ahead if you change your mind, I'm afraid we've made too much again."

"So, how about a dessert?" The smaller brunette asked when everyone finished their meals. She got up and went to a fridge while Shamal and Signum started cleaning the table. She came back after a while with a big, chocolate cake, decorated with cherries.

"Let me help." Asked Nanoha when Hayate took a knife and started slicing the cake. Soon, everyone had their piece.

"Here, open your mouth." Fate tried to feed her sister with a cake.

"Fate-chan, it's embarrassing." The brunette complained, as others tried to hide their laugh, but still did as she was told. "Mou, be careful at least." She groaned when some chocolate was smeared on her cheek. "You did it on purpose."

"Of course I did." She glanced at the rest and, when she was sure that no one was looking, she quickly licked the chocolate from Nanoha's cheek.

"Ha! I saw you!" Hayate's voice made the two literally jump in their sits. "What's with this being all lovey-dovey behind my back?"

"Eeh? Hayate-chan, but we-" Nanoha tried to inefficiently explain their actions. In result, both she and Fate ended up red as tomatoes, left at Hayate's teasing mercy. And Hayate had no mercy at all.

* * *

"Mou, Hayate-chan can be really cruel sometimes..." Nanoha groaned while walking back home along with, still red, Fate.

"I'm sorry Nanoha, it was probably me who went too far this time." The blonde apologized.

"Ah, don't worry, it's not the first time she teased us about it. I guess we're just a little... closer than most of sisters."

"Do you feel uncomfortable with it?" Fate asked with a little fear apparent in her voice.

"I told you, Fate-chan, I would never feel uncomfortable with you." As if to prove her words, she gripped Fate's hand harder and moved closer to her.

"I'm glad." The blonde looked at her sister in a caring manner. But still she couldn't help but feel that something was off. Nanoha was acting strange lately. She was often lost in thoughts, apologizing for things she shouldn't apologize for, somehow she seemed more distant than before. To sum things up, Fate was just plainly worried.

They were walking in silence, side by side, holding hands. By the time they left Hayate's house it had gotten dark. The only source of light were street lamps, illuminating everything with yellowish tones. The area they lived in was far from the city centre. The street they were walking through was empty at this hour, only with some cars passing them by from time to time. Suddenly, Fate let go of Nanoha's hand and pulled her closer to herself instead, putting an arm around her.

"F-Fate-chan?" The brunette were surprised by the action.

"It's getting a little cold. You've left your coat at home again." The blonde's voice was full of concern.

"Ah, I'm sorry." Nanoha relaxed a little and laid her head on Fate's arm. Her sister was always so caring. The brunette closed her eyes for a longer while, enjoying the other girl's warmth. Her heart started to beat faster and her mind again immersed in hope that they could stay like this , as if she could hear Nanoha's thoughts, tightened the hold around her. And yet another feeling appeared in the brunette's heart. Fear. She feared herself, her own, growing feelings towards the blonde. She felt tears coming to her eyes but the grip around her tightened even more. Nanoha opened her eyes and looked around. They were almost home. She gathered all her strength and tried not to cry. It would only worry her sister more and the brunette wanted to avoid it. She took a few deeper breaths and thought about their evening with Hayate and her family. The happy memories instantly cheered her up a little, she was back to her normal self by the time they reached their front door.

Their mothers were already asleep in their bedroom. Not wanting to wake them up, the two quickly washed themselves and went to Nanoha's room, ready to sleep. The room was slightly different from Fate's. Walls' colour was a mixture between light red and orange with creamy celling. There were many photos of both sisters and their family, along with their friends.

The two laid down on a bed which was placed on the same side as window, looking onto the east, opposite the door. They were finally getting comfortable when Nanoha shifted herself. As Fate's head was now on a level of her breasts, she hugged the blonde once again, pressing her tightly to her heart.

"Nanoha?" Fate's muffled and surprised voice, caused by the sudden contact with her sister's bosom, reached the brunette's ears.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to hold you like this." She answered silently. "But if you don't like it then I'll-"

"No, it's not that. I actually... kind of... like it." The blonde tried to hide her embarrassment. "It's just that... I can't breathe."

"Ah! I'm sorry!" Nanoha loosened her grip and lowered her head a little. She almost let out a small sigh when Fate nuzzled her chest while getting comfortable again. "Fate-chan, it tickles!" She whispered and giggled as she felt her sister's hot breath on her bare skin. Although the window was open, the air inside the room was quite warm. Nanoha was in her favourite pink pyjamas she got from Fate, with a few top buttons undone, while the blonde was in an elegant, black night gown which was also a gift from her sister.

Silence filled the room when the two finally settled and were lying, holding each other tightly. Nanoha was gently stroking Fate's head and the other was just lying still, eyes closed. "Fate-chan," Nanoha suddenly started conversation.

"Hmm?" Fate responsed, her voice already a little sleepy.

"Your hair smell nice." The brunette whispered, taking a deep, long breath, inhaling the scent to prove her point.

"Thank you," A small smile formed on Fate's lips. They liked complimenting each other, sometimes they were saying it just to tease the other and sometimes it was a good way to cheer themselves up. "And I think that from now on I'm going to sleep only in your breasts." She added after a while.

"Pervert." Her sister said with playful tone.

"I can't help it, I like the feeling." Fate snuggled up to her a little more.

"Hey, don't say it as if it was our first time doing this." Nanoha faked her anger again.

The blonde smiled to herself and decided to drop the bomb. "But the last time we did it your chest was still flat."

"Fate-chan! Don't laugh at this, yours are bigger anyway." Nanoha groaned but still smiled. "But I'm so proud to have such a beautiful sister."

"Ah, thank you, I feel flattered." Fate hugged the brunette closer. "I love you, Nanoha." She whispered silently but still loud enough to let the other hear it.

The sudden statement made Nanoha feel like her heart was about to jump out. _'Calm down, calm down, she is your sister so calm down.' _She chided herself in her thoughts. "I know, silly," She responded after a while. "I love you too." But those were two different kinds of shut her eyes and hoped that her sister hasn't noticed her increased heartbeat.

* * *

Nanoha slowly opened her eyes and lazily looked around. It was already morning, the sun rays illuminated the room with bright light. The air coming from the open window was still chilly so she pulled up a cover a little higher. She had to be careful to not wake Fate up. The blonde was still sleeping soundly, clung to her breasts. She looked around once again, this time fixing her eyes on a clock standing on her night-table and she felt her stomach twisting a little. _'Damn, it's already eleven o'clock!' _She wanted to quickly get up and wake her sister up when she suddenly remembered that her academic year had ended the day before. With a sigh of relief, Nanoha laid back and closed her eyes once again. In that case it, wouldn't hurt to sleep a little more.

She was ready to drift into sleep again when she heard Fate's sleepy voice. "Nanoha..."

_'Crap, I woke her up, silly me...' _

"It smells so nice..." The other continued, still half asleep.

"Fate-chan..."_ 'Wait, is she still dreaming?' _Nanoha realised but her cheeks became a little red anyway.

"Mm, it's so soft..." Fate mumbled and buried her face into Nanoha's bosom even more. "Come 'ere, I want to eat you..." She said after a while, almost drooling on the brunette's chest. Then, she bit her lightly in a fold of her tender skin.

"Ah!"_ 'Fate-chan!' _Nanoha squealed from the action, burning in embarrassment. Just what kind of dream was her sister having?

"Nanoha?" Fate's suddenly awakened voice broke the short silence. "What's happening? Are you hurt somewhere?" She looked at her sister's bright red face. "Oh my, you have a fever," She said, touching Nanoha's forehead with hers. "Did you catch a cold? I told you to wear your coat at night-" She tried to cup the brunette's cheek, but her hand was shoved away.

"I'm okay!" Nanoha raised her voice. "It's just..." She looked at the girl's confused expression. "Ah, never mind, I need to go to a bathroom." She quickly got up, put her slippers on and ran out of the room.

"O- Okay..." Fate stammered, taken aback, sitting on the bed.

Nanoha splashed some cold water on her face and rested her hands on a wash-stand. _'Fate-chan... you silly girl...'_ She straightened up, still panting a little, and leaned against a cold wall. _'No, wait, it wasn't her fault. She was just having an extremely realistic dream.'_ She tried to explain her sister's previous actions. _'It was me who thought about it in a wrong way...'_ She felt her gloomy mood coming back. _'No, I can't think like this.'_ She washed her face once again and leaved the bathroom.

Fate was still in the bed, hugging her knees and looking through the window when Nanoha came back to her room. She turned her head when the door opened and the brunette couldn't shake the feeling that her sister looked kind of sad. _'Great, now she's sulking and it's my fault. I need to cheer her up somehow.'_ She slowly walked to the bed and sat down. "What is so interesting outside?" She asked with voice a little milder than usual, trying to start a conversation. When the blonde looked down, averting her gaze, Nanoha gave up and went straight to the point. "Ne, Fate-chan, please, look at me." When the other raised her head, she stared into her deep, red eyes for a while and started again. "I'm sorry for earlier," She took Fate's hand and continued. "I've behaved like a dumb and you only wanted to help." She moved closer to her sister. "Forgive me?" She looked into the other's eyes once again and kissed her cheek lightly.

"Nanoha... Of course I forgive you, but..." The blonde paused, looking for right words. "I... also apologize. I was too insistent when you might have... not... needed it," She sniffed lightly and a single tear appeared in her eye, but it was quickly wiped by Nanoha. "I just... care about you... a lot." She said silently after a short while.

"It's okay, Fate-chan, I know you do, I shouldn't have acted like this." She squeezed the blonde's hand.

"So... how about telling me what exactly happened?" Fate asked curiously with a little happier tone.

"Um... you know... how to... put it..." Nanoha's face became red in an instant and she subconsciously covered the bitten place with her hand. "You were saying... strange things..." She said finally.

"Did I sleep talk? Really?" The blonde could hardly hide her excitement and, when Nanoha nodded her head lightly, she continued. "What did I say?" She moved closer to the brunette. "Oh, come on, don't be like this," Her playful mood was already back and the other started averting her eyes. "Hm, in that case..." Fate stated mysteriously. "...punishment awaits!" With that she pounced on Nanoha who didn't expect things to go this way.

"Aahhahahaha!" She cried out while the blonde's hands were tickling her mercilessly. "Fate-chan! Please, stop it!" She tried to escape but she got pinned down to bed by her sister.

"Now, do you have something to tell me?" Fate looked into Nanoha's blue eyes and smiled mischievously. "Or... maybe you want to choose the next spot to tickle?" She asked and straddled the brunette. "Do you want it here?" Her left hand moved down and rested on Nanoha's ribs. "Or here?" She undid two more buttons of the other's top and tickled her tummy lightly. Then she placed her hand back on the brunette's arm.

"I-" Nanoha started but the third voice made her stop.

"Nanoha! Fate! What do you want to-" Suddenly the door opened, revealing fully clothed Momoko and Precia. "-eat?" The two mothers froze, staring at the two girls in bed. Nanoha was lying on her back with almost all of her pyjamas' buttons undone, while Fate was sitting on her waist, still pinning her sister down. "Dear," Momoko turned to her wife.

"I know, honey," Precia answered immediately and gently put her hand on the other's arm. "Let's give them some time." With that statement, they both left the room.

"We weren't doing anything!" Nanoha shouted with bright red face, when she finally managed to break free from Fate's grip who, on the other hand, just stared blankly at the empty place before her.

Then the blonde laughed lightly. "They... thought that we are a couple, again..."

"Yes, and whose fault was this?" Nanoha asked, crossing her arms.

* * *

The beginning of holidays gave Fate and Nanoha much more time to hang out together. It were already three days after the end of the academic year and yet there wasn't a single time, except for going to the bathroom, when the two sisters were apart. Time was passing by really quickly for them as they tried to do everything they wanted to do, but couldn't, during their studies. They have already visited cinemas and theatres, done some shopping together and went to a club along with the rest of their friends.

The Sunday morning was peaceful and quiet. Nanoha was sitting on a deckchair in a garden, on the back of the house, while Fate and Momoko were preparing breakfast. Precia was still sleeping, Kyouya and Miyuki were helping their father in the bakery.

Nanoha raised her head and closed her eyes, basking in warm sunlight. The weather was great for a walk. Making a list of things-to-do-today in her mind and trying to remember it, Nanoha added taking a walk as the next point. Maybe it was only a coincidence but Hayate had shown Fate a certain place lately and the blonde wanted to take her sister there. She was trying to think up some new activities for the rest of the day when she heard Fate's voice.

"Nanoha! Breakfast is almost ready, go and wake up mother!" She shouted from the kitchen, which window was on the same side as the garden.

"Okay, give me a second!" Nanoha got up and went up the stairs, straight to her mothers' bedroom. She knocked lightly, opened the door and entered the room. Curtains were drawn which, along with black and white walls, made it pretty dark inside. Precia, dressed in a long night gown, was lying in the middle of a large bed, her long hair covering almost one half of it.

The brunette came closer and, looking at her mother's peaceful expression, she almost stepped back, not wanting to wake her up. Slowly, she sat down in front of her and gently placed her hand on top of Precia's pale palm. It was warm and soft, with long fingers, resembling Fate's. She lightly squeezed it and whispered to her mother's ear. "Mom, wake up, it's already morning."

The other opened her eyes slowly, looking around with still sleepy gaze. "Nanoha..." She focused her sight on her daughter. "Good morning, what time is it?" She asked, also squeezing her hand in return.

"It's half past nine," Nanoha said, looking at a watch above the bed. "Fate-chan wanted me to wake you up, she has almost finished preparing breakfast." She explained.

"Ah, okay, give me ten minutes, I'll be right there." Precia rubbed her eyes, then got up and went to a drawer on the opposite side of the room.

"I'll go downstairs then." Nanoha said and left the room. She went to the kitchen but stopped in the midway and turned back. She leaned against the wall, opposite the door to Momoko and Precia's room and waited for her mother. The other came out after a few minutes, already dressed.

"Nanoha?" Precia stopped, a little surprised, and looked at the brunette. "I thought that you went to the kitchen already, did you wait for me?" She asked and closed the door to her bedroom.

"Um, I just thought that we don't talk too often lately." She said the first thing that came to her mind and realised that she didn't even know why she came back.

"Do you have something you want to talk about with me?" She smiled warmly at her daughter and gently put her hand on the brunette's arm. "I want to help you in every way I can."

"No, I..." Nanoha thought for a while. "I've remembered how the three of us used to sleep together after papa's death." She averted Precia's eyes. "It made me feel a little nostalgic." She said finally and felt that her heart suddenly became lighter after this small confession. Her mother, in return, pulled her into a quick hug.

"I understand," Precia almost whispered. "I just want you and Fate to be happy." She said with mild voice. "It still can be hard sometimes, don't be afraid to tell me what's wrong."

"I know mom, I won't." Nanoha responded and smiled finally.

* * *

"So, what is this secret place of yours that you wanted to show me?" Nanoha leaned down, looking at Fate, who was lying on her bed and reading a book. "You said that we can go after breakfast." The blonde giggled in response, slowly getting up. "Hey, what's so funny?"

"You really act like a child sometimes." Fate answered, laughing even more at pouting Nanoha. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry." She said finally, taking her sister's hand and leading her outside. "It's not far from the university, how about going for a walk?"

"Sure, the weather is great today, isn't it?" Nanoha's mood changed almost instantly when warm breeze hit her face.

"Mhm, it is." Fate just smiled and looked at the sky, not letting the brunette's hand. They were walking for about twenty minutes in silence when she spoke again. "We're almost there, it's in this short alley we always pass by." They turned into the said street and walked for a while before stopping in front of a not large building.

"A tea-house?" Nanoha read a signboard.

"Hayate-chan showed it to me some time ago. She said that her friend owns it." The blonde explained as they went inside. "It's a really nice place, I wanted to take you here sometime but our university schedule was standing in the way." The shop was small, with a counter opposite the door, a few, empty tables and many shelves with different kinds of tea. There was no one inside. Calm music, playing in the background, made the atmosphere serene and disconnected from the world outside.

"You're right, I like it." The brunette looked around curiously. "Look, Fate-chan, there is so much tea here!" She went to the biggest shelf enthusiastically, dragging Fate along with her.

"I'm glad you like it." A tall, blond-haired woman with European features, entered the room, smiling lightly. "My name is Carim Gracia, I'm an owner of this little shop, how can I help you?" Then, she spotted Fate. "Ah, Fate-san, good to see you again." Next, she turned her head towards Nanoha. "So you must be Nanoha-san, Hayate-chan told me about you, nice to meet you." She bowed her head a little.

"Ah, nice to meet you too." Nanoha smiled and bowed back but reached her hand anyway to shake the blonde's.

"What would you like to get?" Carim asked after the introduction. "You just can buy a tea and take it home or you can try something here. I can prepare you a drink."

"We'd like to try something new." Fate answered immediately. "How about white tea, Nanoha?"

"Sure, I've never tried it." She responded.

Carim quickly wrote something in a small notes and took a short ladder which was hidden behind the counter. She took a small box from the highest shelf and opened it. "If it's your first time drinking white tea then I'd recommend you this one." She handed them the box. "How do you like the aroma?"

Nanoha was first one to smell it. She inhaled the scent and closed her eyes, opening them when Fate reminded her that they are still in the shop. Carim giggled at the remark and leaded the two to a small table when they decided to try the tea she gave them. "Please wait a few minutes, I'll bring your drink shortly." She said and went through a door behind the counter.

"How come that Hayate-chan has never said anything about Carim-san?" Nanoha asked when the blonde left.

Fate thought for a while and answered. "I have no idea, she usually tells us if she meets someone interesting. Then again, she probably has a lot of friends we don't know about."

"It's possible." She looked at the window, then at her sister again. "By the way, is it just me or Carim-san doesn't look like Japanese? She speaks very fluently and all but... She's somehow not of this place."

"Hm, now when I think about it, Hayate-chan told me that Carim-san came here from England about seven years ago. But they met each other only three years ago."

"A foreigner?" Nanoha raised her eyebrows. "Really? Maybe I should ask her to help me with improving my English." She could hardly cover her excitement.

"I would do it with pleasure." The other blonde entered the room with a porcelain pot of tea and two matching cups.

"Ah! Carim-san!" The brunette almost jumped in her seat.

"Don't worry." The other one responded. "I'm used to people being surprised that I'm not Japanese." She smiled warmly at the two and put the pot and the cups on the table. "I hope you'll like it. Now, I'll be in the other room."

"Thank you, Carim-san." Fate answered and started pouring lightly yellowish liquid into Nanoha's cup.

"Mm, it smells good." The brunette inhaled the scent, then took the cup and slowly started to sip the tea. "And it tastes well." She closed her eyes and enjoyed the drink while Fate was filling her own cup before doing the same.

"Mhm, it really does." The blonde confirmed after taking a sip. "Do you want to buy it? We can learn how to prepare it."

Nanoha opened her eyes and smiled. "It's a good idea, and maybe we should buy some more for aunt Lindy before we go to visit her."

They were drinking their tea for a longer while before calling Carim to pay for it. Nanoha insisted to pay but Fate was faster. "We'd also like to buy more of this one." She added before handing bills to Carim. "The white would be for us. Could you also recommend us something as a gift for our aunt? She loves green tea."

"Flavoured or not?" The other asked and took the ladder.

Fate hesitated for a while. "Um, no, she..."

"...flavours it herself." Nanoha finished, giggling along with her sister and making Carim laugh a little.

"I understand," She took another box and opened it. "Here's something she may like."

* * *

It was already dinner time when Nanoha and Fate came back home. Each of them carried a neatly packed bag of tea, one for themselves and one for Lindy.

"Ah, you're back already," Momoko greeted them in the front door. "Perfect timing, we have a surprise for you." She smiled and leaded them to the guest-room. On a large couch there was sitting a tall woman with ocean-green hair tied up in a high ponytail. Next to her was a young, orange-haired girl.

"Fate! Nanoha!" The girl stood up and hugged both sisters tightly.

"It's been a long time, Arf." Fate returned the gesture along with Nanoha. "Good afternoon, aunt Lindy." The two moved to the woman, who stood up in the meantime, and bowed lightly.

"Good afternoon," She returned the bow. "Now, don't be so formal." She gave them a warm smile and also greeted them with a hug.

"Um, aunt Lindy, we have a present for you." Nanoha started when they ended their greetings. She looked at Fate and, when the blonde nodded her head, she handed the small package to Lindy.

The older woman reached out her hand but stopped and saddened a little. "But I haven't bought anything for you two..."

"Don't worry, aunt Lindy," Fate assured her. "You've helped us a lot, we owe you so much."

"Ah, don't say that," She responded but cheered up. "Is it really okay for me to take it?"

Nanoha smiled honestly. "Of course it is, we've bought it for you after all."

Lindy finally took the package and carefully looked at it. "Can I open it?"

"Of course, we hope that you'll like it." The brunette answered and observed her aunt as she slowly started to unwrap the present.

After opening the bag, Lindy looked inside and her expression brightened up instantly. She took a deep breath, inhaling the scent. "White tea?" She asked and, when the two nodded their heads, she hugged them again. "Thank you so much, but still I don't have anything to return your kindness." She thought for a while. "Oh, that reminded me," She looked at Precia and Momoko, who were watching them silently. "Have you told them already?"

"No, we wanted to wait for you." Precia responded.

"What are you talking about?" Nanoha interjected but was silenced by Fate.

"It's a surprise I was talking about a while ago." Momoko explained and let her wife speak.

"We, I mean Momoko, Lindy and I, want to take you on a three-day trip to hot springs." Precia finished and watched her stunned daughters. "Lindy's friend owns a resort not far from the city. A hotel is a rather big mansion so you can also invite your friends. We have already talked with Shamal-san, she said that Hayate-chan and the rest would be more than pleased to go with us."

"Um, mother, are you serio-" Fate started, still not believing in Precia's words, but had to stop immediately when Nanoha's scream filled the room.

"Mom I love you!" The brunette ran to her mother and fell into her arms, almost falling on the floor along with the older woman. It wasn't too long until Fate did the same.

"Actually, you should thank Lindy, it was her idea." Precia said but still returned the gesture.

"Is it really okay to invite our friends?" The blonde asked when the hugs ended.

"Of course it is," Replied Lindy. "We'll have the whole resort reserved only for us, you can take whoever you want to."

"Then let's call Suzuka-chan and Arisa-chan!" Nanoha took Fate's hand and started walking to her room. "And we should also invite Yuuno-kun." She added after a while. "And Subaru-san."

"Um, Nanoha..." Fate started. "Don't you think that it's a bit-"

"Oh! I forgot about Teana-san, do you have her number?" The brunette asked with excitement.

Fate opened her mouth to say something else but her common sense told her that resistance was futile. "Yes. Yes, I have..."

* * *

**A/N:** Once again, I'm soo sorry that it took me so long. Some parts were a real pain in the neck and I found myself changing them over and over again which finally resulted in taking a break from writing.

There is a one more thing I'd like to say here. I'm not an expert in Japanese culture. I did some research but I'm pretty sure that some things I put here are pure absurd for Japanese people. If you see something like that then please, let me know about it. I just felt obligated to say it as I don't want to insult anyone's culture.

The next chapter is where the real fun starts and I'm kind of excited about it so I think that I'll manage to write it quite fast.

So, 'till the next time.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Finally. Finished. Over 7,2k words. I'm definitely going for longer chapters. And for faster writing. Have a good read.

* * *

**The Meaning of Us**

**Chapter 3  
**

**By: Caelion  
**

The trip to the hot springs was scheduled on the next Friday. Four days passed really quickly and it was already Thursday before Nanoha could even notice. She checked her luggage one more time and, when she was sure that everything was packed, she closed her suitcase. It was already dark outside and the only source of light in the room was a small table lamp. The whole house was filled with silence and Nanoha noticed that her vision was a little foggy. She looked at her phone to see what time was it. It was already 11pm. Time to get some sleep. She took her pyjamas, turned the lamp off and left her room. She went straight to Fate's door, opened them and stepped inside. Her sister had already finished packing her things and was lying on her bed, ready to sleep.

"They passed by quite fast, didn't they?" The brunette started. "I mean, those four days, we're finally going on the trip tomorrow." She began to change her clothes while Fate was watching her in silence. "I can hardly wait." Nanoha continued. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight." She stopped then and looked at her sister. "Fate-chan? Why are you so silent?"

Slowly, the blonde got up and started walking towards her. "Nanoha..." She reached out her hand and cupped the brunette's cheek gently. "How about... staying here?" Fate's voice was low and attractive. She came closer and rested her other hand on Nanoha's side. "Just the two of us... alone." She gazed into the other's eyes warmly and started to close the distance between their faces.

"Fate-chan... what are you... doing?" Nanoha tried to form a question; but the sight of Fate's lips right before her own was making her words only weaker. Beautiful, full and seductively red, matching her eyes. Had she used her lipstick? The brunette spotted some stray hair on her sister's face and instinctively wanted to remove them but she found out that she couldn't move her hand. The gap between them was becoming less and less noticeable, Nanoha's heart was beating like crazy and she could swear that their lips almost touched. Just a little bit more, a few millimetres... no, no more than two and...

Nanoha opened her eyes and looked around, breathing heavily. Yes, she was in Fate's room but the blonde was hugging her from behind, still asleep. The brunette lifted her hand and slowly touched her lips with her fingers, still feeling the warmth before her face. Was it only a dream? But it was so realistic... She took her phone from a night-table, opened it and closed after a short while, sighing silently. '_Two in the morning, what a great start of a trip...'_

* * *

Nanoha's phone rang after four long hours. She didn't even have to open her eyes. Every time she tried to get some sleep, the images from the dream appeared before her, making her even more awake. She turned off the noisy device and tried to break free from Fate's arms but the grip was too strong. In the end she had to wake her sister up. Finally, she got up and started to put on clothes she prepared last evening. After going through all of her 'morning rituals', she went to the kitchen to prepare the breakfast. Her mothers were already there, making food for the rest of the family. "Good morning," Nanoha greeted them and came closer to help them.

"Good morning, Nanoha," Momoko looked at her daughter and suddenly a serious expression appeared on her face. "What's wrong sweetie? You look very tired." She asked with concern, while Precia returned the greeting and let her wife handle the case.

"Um, I was so excited that I couldn't sleep," The brunette lied, trying to explain herself. "But don't worry, mama, I'm all right." She smiled, assuring her mother. "I'm just a little-" yawn, "-sleepy."

Momoko caressed Nanoha's cheek gently. "Be sure to get some rest during the trip, okay?" She went back to making sandwiches while the other started to pack them into a large basket.

"Okay, mama."

It was already seven in the morning by the time the members of Takamachi family finished their breakfast and packed everything into their cars. Nanoha and Fate were going to ride along with Precia and Momoko. Kyouya and Miyuki had their own car and they had agreed to take Suzuka, Arisa and Yuuno with them. Hayate, with her family, was going to give Subaru and Teana a lift. When everything was ready, all they could do was to wait for their friends to arrive.

"Ah, they're here!" Nanoha called the rest when she spotted a long, black limousine stopping a few meters away from their road. "Morning!" She greeted her friends and help them with packing their things into Kyouya and Miyuki's car. "Ooh, you really took them!" She pointed at a large, covered with blanket cage, held by a tall, blond-haired boy.

"Well, I couldn't really leave them at home, my parents don't know a thing about animals." Yuuno offered Nanoha a small smile and, after greeting the rest of her family, got into the car, putting the cage on his lap. Arisa and Suzuka joined him after a while.

"Ready to go?" Miyuki asked, fastening her seat belt.

"Hai!" The three responded and Kyouya turned the engine.

Fate was already sitting inside her mother's car, trying to figure out the best place for another cage, this time with sleeping Linith inside. Finally, she decided to leave it on the middle seat and when Nanoha got inside, the two took a hold of the cage together, interlacing their fingers on top of it. Momoko decided to check their baggage for the last time while Precia went to lock the front door of their house. It took them no longer than a few minutes and soon the two cars left the front yard. The trip has finally started.

* * *

"-ha; Nanoha, wake up," A gentle voice called her. "Nanoha, we're in the hotel already, wake up,"

Slowly, Nanoha opened her eyes and rubbed them with her left hand. A tall blonde, sitting next to her, was gently shaking her arm. "Fate-chan?" Nanoha looked around, they were still in the car but the front seats were already empty.

"Finally," The blonde sighed lightly. "You were sleeping so hard that I couldn't wake you up." She unfastened her seat belt and got out of the car. Then, she went to the other side of the vehicle and opened the door next to Nanoha.

"Thank you," The brunette stretched her legs and opened her phone. "Oh my, it's already nine o'clock." Nanoha stood up and yawned loudly. "Sorry," She made a quick apologize and turned around to look at their surroundings. They were on a large parking, next to their car were standing two more. "Ah, aunt Lindy is already here, isn't she?"

"Mom said that they came here yesterday to help with preparing the hotel or something like that. I heard that it's right after renovation. We can spend a weekend here because Chrono-san and Amy-san agreed to do some minor works."

"Maybe they need some help if that's the case?" Nanoha asked but her sister shook her head.

"I've already asked. Aunt Lindy said that it's not necessary and that she invited us here to let us rest."Fate took the cage with Linith and closed the car, locking the door. "Come on, Kyouya-niisan and Chrono-san took our bags already, we need to see our room." She said and took the brunette's hand, leading her to the huge stone stairs. They reached their destination after a minute of climbing up. In front of them was standing an impressive, Japanese-style mansion.

"Wow," Nanoha couldn't help but stare in awe at the building. "Aunt Lindy has said that it's a big hotel but I didn't expect it to be _that_ big." She started walking again. "Ne, Fate-chan, the weather is great today, do you want to go for a walk after lunch?"

Her sister nodded her head enthusiastically. "Sure, I saw a shrine not far from here. We could go there." They were a few meters away from the mansion when the front door opened, showing Arf dressed in an elegant, black and orange kimono. "Morning, Arf," Fate waved her hand, Nanoha smiled and repeated her sister's gesture.

"Good morning!" The orange-haired girl smiled widely and moved to the side to let them in. "It's good that you've arrived, the hotel was so empty with just four of us here." They took off their boots and put on white slippers, prepared specially for guests.

"Where's everyone?" Nanoha asked, looking around. They were walking through a large hall, there were many guest rooms located on both sides, most of them empty.

Arf scratched her cheek. "Lindy-kaasan has gone for a walk with Momoko-san and Precia-san, Amy-neesan and Chrono-niisan are on the back of the mansion with Kyouya-san and Miyuki-san. Yuuno-san, Suzuka-san and Arisa-san are waiting for you in your room.

They reached their destination after about a minute of walking. "Lindy-kaasan thought that you'd like to gather in one room anyway so she chose you the biggest guest-room we have here." Arf stated proudly, sliding apart the door. "I'll excuse myself then." She bowed lightly and started to turn around when a voice stopped her.

"You're not going to stay with us?" Fate asked with a hint of disappointment.

Arf gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, but I need to welcome the rest of our guests, they should arrive soon."

"Ah, okay, see you later then." The blonde returned the smile while the girl turned around and left.

Nanoha and Fate stepped inside, spotting their friends immediately. They walked towards them and sat on the floor, curiously looking around. The room was big enough so even fifteen people could easily sleep on the floor without making it crowded. Apparently they were on the other side of the mansion, they could easily enter to the garden on the back of the hotel through a large door. Their things were laying next to the opposite wall. Futons were already prepared and the two sisters quickly claimed their own one.

"You're not going to sleep together, are you?" Arisa asked, crossing her arms.

"Why not?" Nanoha countered with a smile. "We do this every night."

"Ah, spare me the details." The short-tempered blonde was seemingly getting angry by just thinking about it but her violet-haired friend immediately reminded her to control her emotions.

"Now, Arisa-chan, we're on vacation." She patted Arisa's arm while Nanoha put out her tongue towards the blonde, taking a hold of her sister's hand in the same time.

"Um, Fate-san," Yuuno started, watching as the other tried to open the cage with Linith using only one hand. "Aren't you scared that she's going to run away?" He asked with a bit of anxiety in his voice, trying to ignore Suzuka and Arisa playfully poking each other next to him.

Fate finally managed to open the cage. "It's okay, your pets will be fine." She assured him when the dark-grey cat stepped outside and laid down again, this time on Fate's lap. "See?" She smiled and started to gently stroke the cat's fur.

"Oh, I should have taken one of mine," Suzuka said with a little dreamy voice, looking at Linith. "They must feel lonely without me." Nanoha laughed at her friend's remark while Yuuno let out a sigh of relief.

The rest of the guests arrived about fifteen minutes later. Hayate, along with the rest of her family, entered the room with a loud 'hello', followed by Teana and Subaru, both a little more reserved than their friend.

"Hayate-chan!" Nanoha stood up and hugged her friend. "Hey, Vita-chan," She ruffled the little girl's hair playfully and went to greet Signum and Shamal.

"Hey, what's in this cage?" Subaru asked curiously, pointing at the large object, covered with blanket, behind Yuuno.

"Ah, my pets." The boy answered and turned around. "Actually, I should take it off now." When the girls took their place in a circle around the cage, Yuuno pulled off the cover. Behind the small, metal bars were lying two ferrets, sleeping peacefully next to each other.

"Wow! They're so sweet!" Subaru squealed and looked closer at the two animals. "What are they called?"

"Yuuna and Nanami." Vita answered before Yuuno could open his mouth. "Ferret boy thought that the older one is a male so he called it 'Yuuno'; He changed it when Shamal told him that both of them are females."

"Who are you calling 'ferret boy'?" Yuuno started, while everyone burst out with laughter, stopped by Subaru's enthusiastic voice.

"Look, they woke up!" The girl shouted, looking at the two pets like hypnotized. The boy stood up and went to get his bag while the rest still stared at the animals. The bigger ferret looked around, then turned to the smaller one. "I wonder what it's going to- OH MY GOD!"

"What happened?!" Yuuno came back immediately, bending over the cage.

"W- W- What a perverted ferret!" Subaru stammered, pointing at the two, her eyes wide.

The boy sighed, straightening himself. "That's why I thought it is a male..."

* * *

After eating the lunch, Nanoha and her friends gathered in their room to kill some time before going to the hot springs. They had many things to talk about. Subaru and Teana wanted to know why Signum called Fate 'Testarossa' and Nanoha, despite her sister's pleadings, volunteered to tell the story.

"Hmm, I think it happened about five years ago..." She started, scratching her chin lightly, while Hayate and Arisa were holding protesting Fate. Signum just smirked, remembering the whole happening. "All of us were on a trip to Italy and we managed get some tickets to a display of Italian cars." Nanoha continued while the blonde stopped her struggle and was just listening silently. "Did you know that Fate-chan loves sport cars?" The brunette teased her sister and continued her story. "She wanted me to take a picture of her standing in front of a black Ferrari Testarossa and-"

"I've told you, I tripped over a- Mmm!" Fate desperately tried to explain what the brunette was going to say but Hayate covered her mouth with her hand.

Nanoha smiled widely. "I tell you, even professional models don't pose like this on those expensive cars!" She looked happily at Fate, who was burning red with embarrassment, and imitated the pose her sister made back then. "I have pictures!" The brunette added, laughing along with everyone.

"So now..." Hayate managed to say something after a few good minutes of uncontrollable laughter, caused not only by the story itself, but also by extremely embarrassed Fate. "How about you?" She pointed at Teana.

"Um, what about me?" Teana asked hesitantly.

"Tell us a funny story!" The brunette answered cheerily and sat next to the girl. "It's our little tradition, everyone must tell some kind of amusing tale. Didn't I tell you?"

"Ah, no, you didn't." She responded and thought for a while before speaking again. "But I'm afraid that I don't know any..."

"I'm sure you do," Hayate didn't give up. "You just don't remember it now, take it easy and tell us when you're ready." She patted Teana on her arm lightly and turned again to the rest. "So who wants to do it now?"

Suzuka raised her hand lightly in response. "I think I have something fitting," She opened her mouth to start but Nanoha interjected.

"Hey, is this the one with your cat which learned how to open a fridge?" She asked but realised what she did when the violet-haired girl nodded her head. "Oh, sorry," She laughed nervously.

"It's okay, Nanoha, this story is getting old anyway." Fate came to her rescue with an innocent smile. "But you've just embarrassed another five years out of my life so I need to pay you back properly." A grin appeared on her face when Hayate and Arisa got up to immobilise the brunette for safety reasons.

* * *

The day passed quickly and the evening came in a blink of eye. The main attraction of the whole trip were hot springs so naturally, after many hours of talking and having fun together, the girls were lazily soaking in the hot water. The mansion had four different baths, two outdoor and two indoor, just in case of bad weather. Two of them were designed for males and two for females. The weather was great however so everyone choose the outdoor baths.

Teana and Subaru were sitting next to each other with their eyes closed, Suzuka was reading a book while Arisa tried to peek at the text above her friend's shoulder. The atmosphere was content, to the point where Fate needed to wake up Nanoha who fell asleep in the water. The blonde pinched her sister lightly, to make sure she won't drift off to sleep again, and returned to talking with Arf.

"Ah, I could stay like this forever..." Hayate broke the silence, delight in her voice. She was lying on her back, 'using' Shamal as her body pillow, who was gently massaging the girl's shoulders. Behind the blonde was Signum, sitting with her legs on both sides of her friend, hugging her and resting her head on Shamal's back. Vita, on the other hand, was floating on the water and watching the starry sky.

Nanoha stood up after a few minutes, took her towel and left the bath. "Where are you going, Nanoha-chan?" Hayate asked her before the girl reached the door.

"I'm going to take a walk, it's really hot here and I'm getting sleepy." The brunette entered the bathroom where guests could wash their bodies before walking into the hot springs. She waved to her mothers, her older sister, Lindy and Amy, who were preparing to join the rest of the girls, and put on her clothes. The air outside the bath was pleasantly cool and the drowsiness flew away quickly.

The hot springs were located behind the hotel. The whole area was surrounded by an old forest. Nanoha was walking a stone path, along a bank of a small river dividing the forest from the hotel grounds. The girl looked around curiously and couldn't help but notice how silent her surrounding was. Indeed, the mansion was a few kilometres away from the nearest town. To add the atmosphere, the garden was lightly illuminated by many lamps standing here and there. When Nanoha looked forward again, she saw the path splitting into two directions. The left one was leading back to the hotel, the right one, to a small, wooden bridge. She looked at the opposite bank of the river, it was thickly covered with trees but it was too dark to see what was between them. She chose the first path and walked back to the mansion. She didn't want to get lost after all.

Her friends had already left the hot springs by the time Nanoha got there. She talked for a while with Amy before going back to her room. When she entered inside, everyone was sitting on their futons, talking and occasionally laughing but ready to sleep, so the brunette took her clothes and went to the bathroom to change and wash her teeth. She put on her pyjamas and went back to the room after a few minutes. Nanoha located her sister's futon quickly and slipped in it right next to the blonde.

"Here we go again..." Arisa started.

"What's wrong, Arisa-chan?" The brunette asked innocently, taking a hold on Fate's hand who, in turn, became a little red.

The shorter blonde just pouted. "Find yourself a boyfriend instead of clinging to your sister all the time." Nanoha just laughed in response while Yuuno choked with his drink. When Shamal went to help the boy, Arisa looked at Fate and added. "The same goes for you."

"I don't want to hear it from you," Nanoha countered with laughter while her sister looked at her lap, taken aback by the remark.

"But Arisa-chan, that's..." She started but was stopped by Hayate.

"Okay, that's enough." When all voices in the room died down, the brunette continued. "We're on our vacations now, let's talk about it another time." The subject was rarely taken, mostly because of both Nanoha and Fate. The two were just constantly avoiding talking with and about males. With a few exceptions naturally, including Kyouya, Chrono and Yuuno. Most of the girls nodded their heads, except for Arisa who was still sitting there with her arms crossed. "Arisa-chan?"

The blonde sighed and looked down. "Okay, I just... don't want other people to call my friends freaks." The confession didn't really surprise the rest. They knew that she cared about them in her own, maybe a little strange but devoted, way.

"I understand, Arisa-chan but- Nanoha-chan?" Hayate looked at the brunette who paled and was opening and closing her mouth repeatedly. "What's wrong?"

"Um, what?" Nanoha jerked her head and looked at her friend. She blinked a few times and spoke again. "Could you repeat? I kind of spaced out," _I'm just a freak after all._ She let out a small laugh and scratched her head nervously when she felt everyone's eyes on herself. "Sorry, I'm a little sleepy, how about calling it a day?"

"Yeah, I think that everyone is already tired," Shamal smiled. "We still have two more days."

Hayate looked at Nanoha, who seemed lost in thoughts, but nodded her head anyway. "Right, let's go to sleep today." She got inside her futon and laid on her back while Yuuno went to turn the light off.

Nanoha also laid down with Fate next to her and closed her eyes. A few minutes passed before she heard her sister whispering into her ear.

"Nanoha?" She started hesitantly. "Are you asleep?"

Answer or not? "No, what's wrong?"

The blonde stood silent for a while. "It's nothing, good night."

"Um, good night." She was too tired to think about it now.

* * *

"Nanoha?" Fate's voice brought the brunette back to reality. They were on their way back to the hotel after a trip to the local shrine. The afternoon was going to be rainy so they decided to go right after breakfast while the rest went to the nearest town.

"Yes?" Caught again, how many times was there before? Nanoha realised that she was just staring blankly at the road before her. Too obvious to hide it now. "Sorry," She gave the blonde an apologetic smile. "I was thinking what we're going to do after coming back to the mansion." Liar. Arisa's words from the evening before were the real reason and Nanoha knew it.

"Ah, okay then." The two went silent again. It was awkward. True, they had always understood each other without words, but now Fate felt like her sister was surrounded by the wall, and she was unable to get through it. Even if she was holding the brunette's hand it felt different. Limp and cold. And this time the blonde was positive that Nanoha had a serious problem but for an unknown reason she was determined to stay silent about it. Why? Has Fate lost the brunette's trust at some point? Then how to regain it again? There is a way, isn't there? The blonde felt that her stomach twisted when she thought about it. She was going to try. She had to try. But what if Nanoha wanted to just get some rest? They were on holidays after all. Then she should talk with her after coming back home. Yes, that way should be the best. Unwittingly, Fate squeezed her sister's hand lightly. The thought itself was restorative enough to lighten her mood. She looked around and decided to hurry up; dark clouds covered the horizon.

It started to rain about an hour after Nanoha and Fate's come back. Hayate was excited about bathing during the rain so after the lunch they went along with her to the outdoor hot spring. The three decided that the experience was very unique as they sat in the hot water, with cold raindrops falling of their upper bodies.

Meanwhile in the indoor bath, the atmosphere was a little more steamy. "Ah! Subaru!" Teana shouted, falling into the water along with her friend. "Stop groping me, you idiot!"

Suzuka looked at the two with worry, covering Vita's eyes. "Maybe treating Subaru-san to _sake_ wasn't a good idea after all..."

"Don't worry," Arisa patted the girl's arm. "Hayate does the same without alcohol." She answered, watching Teana who managed to break free from Subaru's grip but immediately got pulled back to the water by the said girl. Vita just shivered at the thought alone. The evening was going to be interesting.

Hayate, Fate and Nanoha came back after fifteen minutes. It started to rain so hard that sitting outside became more of a trouble than of a pleasure. They still had a lot of time left until the dinner so they decided to spend it together with their friends. The room was rather silent. Subaru was sleeping in the far corner while Teana was still drying her hair up with an angry expression. Yuuno went to feed his ferrets and Suzuka was playing with Linith. Or rather, Linith was playing with Suzuka's hair. Strangely, the cat would take an interest in the girl's long, violet locks every time she tried to pet it.

Signum and Shamal went to the kitchen to get some drinks for everyone but, as Hayate remarked, it was taking them terribly long. Oddly enough, she was also highly convinced that they don't need any help and a mysterious grin was the only answer that Nanoha managed to get. Fate, on the other hand, knew that something more then loose family bonds was between the two.

Of course, the matter of Hayate's family was interesting enough that even Teana wanted to ask about it and was held only by her good manners. Subaru, on the other hand, wasn't which, as an addition to her curious personality, made her ask the question before her roommate could stop her. Hayate just laughed and answered that they are quite distant relatives, reassuring, now moping, girl that it wasn't so personal to not ask about it.

Teana couldn't hold her tongue when she met Momoko for the first time. She recognized the woman from the bakery and asked about her husband before even thinking about it. It was one of those rare times when Momoko didn't know what to say and she was glad that Fate was there to explain everything to the girl. It wasn't really Teana's fault, she didn't know that Momoko and Shirou divorced a long time ago. They had a really good friendship with each other and everyone could think the same. In addition, how could she know that the brunette was her friends' step-mother? And furthermore, their 'real' mother's wife? Never had she met any homosexual people. Bad experiences with her own family had also ensured her that a possibility of such situation is almost null. Then again, right before her eyes, she had an ideal example that not always things go wrong.

Finally, after over half an hour, Signum and Shamal came back with the drinks. "Sorry," Signum started, her face a little red. "We have... ran out of-"

"Water." Shamal interjected and started to hand out the drinks with a totally perfect smile. So perfect that no one, even Hayate, dared to question it.

* * *

It was already half past midnight when they decided to go to sleep. After the whole day of having fun together everyone was pretty tired and fell asleep quickly. Except for one person.

Nanoha shifted again in the futon, trying to not wake her sister up. No matter how much she tried, she just couldn't drift off to sleep. She laid down on her back, watching the celling, then she turned on her right side. Fate's hands were wrapped around her lightly, the blonde was lying behind her. Nanoha closed her eyes and once again tried to sleep but the result was easy to predict. She started to play the whole day in her head right from the morning to the evening. No use. Next method, thinking about something pleasant. She thought about the time spent with the certain blonde but it just made the things worse when her imagination drifted too far.

The last way she could think of was cuddling with her sister. And even if she usually felt guilty for doing it without the blonde's initiation, this time she was determined to try it anyway. Slowly, she shifted one more time, on her left side, and started to look for a 'right spot'. Her gaze naturally stopped on Fate's breasts, then, after chiding herself, went higher to the blonde's neck, her sleeping face and finally, her lightly parted lips. Nanoha rested her head on her hand and just stared. Somehow, she couldn't look the other way. The sight before her was strangely entertaining and... tempting.

Nanoha moved a little to look closer and felt Fate's warm breath on her face. The scent of blonde's hair hit her nose as something was pulling her nearer, the smell was so nice and intoxicating. There were only a few centimetres between their faces and their noses almost touched. Nanoha tilted her head and slowly started to close her eyes. She saw the images from her last dream, the look in Fate's eyes, her seducing moves and the fine line between her parted lips. It was all she needed to make her final move.

She was just about to kiss her sister when a small gasp escaped from the blonde's lips. "Nanoha..." Fate shifted a little in the futon, now looking even more innocent and defenceless than before. The brunette jerked back roughly and covered her mouth with her hand.

Nanoha realised what she was going to do and felt sick. Of herself. Of her twisted feelings which had been making her life harder for the last four years. But it wasn't what mattered to her the most at the moment. She almost betrayed all of her sister's trust. She looked at Fate once again, this time with fear in her eyes, but the blonde was still asleep. Sleep talking? Nanoha let out a small sigh but it wasn't all. She felt as if something was choking her. She needed some fresh air. She got up carefully and, after putting on her slippers, she went out of the room, straight to the garden. Nanoha started to run as soon as she got outside. No matter where, she wanted to flee from all of this, to become 'normal' again.

She was running until she reached the small bridge she saw the day before. She collapsed on the wood and started to breathe heavily. It didn't happen, right? It was some kind of madness, wasn't it? A dream, her imagination... Even if the brunette tried to push the vivid memory away, she couldn't. Had she really tried to do it? No, she had almost done it, completely willingly and she wasn't going to stop. One part of her was glad that Fate 'chose' that particular moment to talk in her sleep, the other one was terrified.

Nanoha felt that tears started to come to her eyes. She promised herself to not cry because of this, to be strong, but she couldn't stop. She let out the first tear. Then the second. And the third, then she stopped counting and just started to weep. She took a hold of the wooden railing and rested her cheek on her forearm, shutting her eyes tightly and crying openly in the middle of a warm, summer night.

* * *

Nanoha couldn't look into Fate's eyes. Whenever the blonde wanted to talk with her she would just give her an evasive answer, look at her phone and find some excuse to go somewhere else. It was already the fifth time when she was going to the bathroom just to avoid her sister and it wasn't an easy thing to do. Nanoha wanted to be with her, to talk with her normally, but in her current state she just couldn't. The whole trip was making it even harder, their friends weren't blind and too abnormal behaviour of the brunette could raise a wave of questions.

She was walking though the hall, lost in thoughts again, when she bumped on a certain green-haired woman. "Oh, I'm sorry-" She started and raised her head. "Aunt Lindy!" Her eyes widened a little and she bowed quickly to apologize. "I'm really sorry!" Her aunt just smiled in return and patted the girl's head lightly.

"It's okay, no need to be so formal." She looked at the brunette, then at the rest of the hall and at Nanoha again. "Where is Fate? I wanted to send you to the town to buy a few things, we're kind of busy now and we need some help from you two. I'm sorry, I promised you some rest but-"

"Ah, it's okay," Nanoha scratched her cheek. "I can go, what do I need to buy?"

"You don't want to go with your sister?" Lindy looked at her with surprise.

"Um, no, she is... busy, I think." The brunette masked her puzzlement with a smile. "I don't want to disturb her, she needs more rest than me after all."

"Okay, if that's the case," Lindy gave her a few bills and a piece of paper. "Here you have some money and a list of things to buy. Come back before the lunch, okay?" She smiled warmly and watched as Nanoha started to put on her boots. When the brunette left, she turned around and saw Fate walking from behind a corner. "Ah, Fate, I thought you were doing something with your friends."

"Huh?" The blonde stopped, staring at her aunt questioningly.

Lindy looked at her, puzzled. "Nanoha said so a while ago..."

"Where is she now?" Fate asked.

"She went to the town, she should be back in an hour or two."

"Ah," Fate's mood darkened as she looked at the front door. Nanoha's boots were, indeed, gone. "Okay then." She passed by her aunt and went to her room, still feeling the older woman's look on her back. Was her sister avoiding her? Fate felt that her head started to hurt so she leaned against the wall as soon as she entered the empty room. It wasn't making any sense to her. Nanoha had always been so cheerful and full of energy and suddenly her behaviour changed for a totally different one. Why? Was it because of the blonde herself? She couldn't tell.

"Why so serious, Fate-chan?"

The blonde jumped when she heard Hayate's voice behind her. "Hayate-chan!" She looked at the brunette but lowered her gaze on her feet.

"Has something happened?" Her friend asked with concern, putting her hand on the blonde's arm in a reassuring way.

Fate sighed and looked into Hayate's worried eyes. "You already know, don't you?" She asked and the brunette nodded her head in response. If there was someone able to help then Hayate was definitely the right person to talk with.

* * *

The weather was just seemingly better than the day before. It was warm with a few raindrops falling from the sky occasionally and a light wind blowing a little harder from time to time. Nanoha was coming back from the town, the groceries were already in a bag. It was early Sunday afternoon and the streets were pretty empty. She was walking through a stony road leading to the hotel. She sighed and looked up at the sky. Walking like that without Fate was lonely and Nanoha started to wonder how long would it take her to come to terms with the whole situation.

It was surely hard for her. If it was any other kind of problem she could probably ask for help her family or her friends. But being in love with her own twin sister and, what was more important, almost kissing her in her sleep wasn't something she could just go and talk about with other people. This time books were also useless. All those romances she loved to read about were too trite and there wasn't any guide 'how to handle a romantic relationship with a member of your family'. Television? If only she knew a serial resembling her situation...

At first she decided to wait. Maybe she wasn't really in love with Fate, maybe it was just her imagination. After all, those feelings were totally new to her. And so she waited. One month, two months, a year passed and she had to say that, indeed, she hopelessly fell for the blonde. So she tried to cure it with the poison itself. But finding a boyfriend wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do, considering her total lack of attention towards males. In fact, Yuuno was the only possible option and she knew that she wasn't all the same to the boy. There was only one problem. To Nanoha, Yuuno was just a friend and, even if she wanted to, she just couldn't see him as something more. In that situation, asking him out meant lying to another person and that was the thing the brunette wanted to avoid.

There was only one more method left. Possibly the most effective and in the same time the most brutal one. Nanoha had been pushing it for a long time but in the end she needed to reconsider it once again. But was it really that necessary? Was leaving her sister the only way to get rid of those feelings? Not only did it mean hurting herself but also Fate as well. The blonde was really attached to her and Nanoha was pretty sure that separation could only make things worse. But in her current situation it was slowly becoming the only way. And the brunette really hated to admit it. After all, she had tried everything she could, hadn't she? Was there anything more she could do?

The sight of the hotel pulled Nanoha out of her gloomy thoughts. She knew that immersing in depressing thoughts wasn't the best thing to do but she needed to rethink everything one more time. And then once more. And maybe she could find another solution. She went to the kitchen and left the bag, waving to her mothers. Time to think about it again. She directed her steps towards the garden, carefully, to not let the others know that she came back. It was like a childish play in hide and seek but she needed this silence and distance. For Fate's sake.

The brunette entered the garden and started to walk through the path she discovered two days ago. Soon she got to the wooden bridge she spent almost half of her last night on. She looked at the other bank of the river, thickly covered with trees. A little hesitantly, Nanoha stepped on the bridge. She crossed the river and, after a few minutes of walking, she found herself in a circular bower. In the middle was a trunk, reshaped to serve as a bench.

Nanoha sat on the 'bench' and crossed her legs. She closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of the trees surrounding her. The world had never seemed more distant, important things became meaningless and this short while was the only thing that mattered. Until she had to open her eyes again. Suddenly, the peacefulness was disturbed by a sound footsteps near the bower. "Who's there?" Nanoha stood up and felt her heart beating faster. She looked around but in the old trees' shades it was too dark to spot the intruder.

"Easy, Nanoha-chan, it's just me." A short figure appeared before the brunette.

"Hayate-chan," Nanoha let out a sigh of relief. "You scarred me, I thought that I was the only person here."

"Sorry," The shorter girl apologized and leaned herself on a wooden railing. "You were gone for over two hours, we started to worry about you." She shoved away some stray hair from her eyes. "And when I went to ask Lindy-san about you I saw you coming out of the kitchen." She looked at the ground. "I'm sorry that I was following you." Then, she raised her head and stood up again. "But it's good that I was able to find you, I wanted to talk with you anyway."

Nanoha let out a small, nervous laugh, seeing the determined look the shorter brunette gave her. "Talk about... what?" She asked shyly and jumped back when the other girl looked into her eyes closely.

"About you." Straightforward. "You act strange lately. You're lost in thoughts most of the time, you get mad at things you used to laugh at before, you've even stopped talking to Fate-chan suddenly, you're..." Hayate didn't even try to hide her worry. "You're acting like someone I completely don't know." She finished, taking a gentle hold of Nanoha's arms, feeling her eyes watering. "Nanoha-chan, what's wrong with you?"

Nanoha looked at her, taken aback by her friend's outburst. "Hayate-chan..." She wanted to deny all those accusations but she couldn't. Everything that Hayate said was true and both of them knew it. The brunette opened her mouth but closed them immediately. A part of her wanted to cry, to tell her friend everything, but the other part, the stubborn one, couldn't let her do it. What if Hayate was going to turn away from her after hearing this? Or worse, what if she was going to tell Fate about it? What if... No, the risk was too high. "I..." She started but couldn't form a sensible sentence. "I'm okay, Hayate-chan," She managed to say finally but, from the look she got from Hayate, she knew that her friend didn't believe her. "Even if I have a problem I want to solve it by myself-"

"And hurt people who love you?" The shorter girl interjected, shutting Nanoha's mouth with the sentence. "Why won't you let us help? Why are you so s-" Hayate stopped, before the last word left her mouth, and rested her head on Nanoha's chest with resignation. "...stubborn?" She finished silently. A pair of hands wrapped around her, pulling her closer, so she couldn't see a few tears in the taller brunette's eyes.

* * *

**A/N: **Wow, that was a lot happening in this chapter. And the ferrets. E-cookie for those who caught the reference.

As for some general info, I've just found a major grammar mistake I've been constantly repeating in the previous chapters (as well as in this one though I have already corrected it). I'll definitely get rid of this after finishing the story but, knowing myself, I'll probably do it earlier anyway.

Now, an evil part of me wants to leave you waiting for the next chapter but I'm in a good mood today (despite my earlier problems with opening a jar full of honey) so I'm going to post a small omake for you. It didn't really happen in the story so don't take it seriously.

* * *

Meanwhile in the second bath, Yuuno looked at the sky and raised his hand to his forehead. "Man, I tell you, if I were living in a house full of beautiful women I'd do nothing except for watching them in bath."

Kyouya took his towel and stood up, while Chrono did the same. "It gets boring, believe me."

The blond-haired boy looked at the two, immediately regretting what he said. "I wish I haven't asked..."

* * *

**A/N: **And that's it. Laugh while you can for I'm off to write the next chapter, full of emotional battles, gallons of tears and raging hormones. Maybe not really the last one. So, 'till the next time!


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Just as I promised, much faster update, mostly because I'm currently in a very creative state of mind. I've already written something like 1/3 of the next chapter. Nothing much to say here besides that, have a good read.

* * *

**The Meaning of Us**

**Chapter 4**

**By: Caelion**

_'Why won't you let us help?'_

Nanoha opened her eyes sharply when a vivid memory of Hayate's pleading voice came to her once again. She had to believe that she had chosen the right thing rejecting her friend's offer. She had her doubts many times, she had even regretted her decision back then and for a little while she wanted to call the leaving girl but her voice was weak. Too weak to be heard. It was too late anyway. The trip had already ended, they were coming back home and Hayate was somewhere entirely else.

Meanwhile Fate shifted in her seat one more time, careful not to look at her right. In the end she couldn't resist the urge and she cast a furtive glance at the brunette sitting next to her. The girl's face was unreadable, her gaze was wandering somewhere behind the window of the car they were sitting in. Nanoha's left hand was gently holding a cage with Linith, standing on the middle seat between the two girls. Only Fate's sheer fear of the girl's reaction was holding her from putting her own hand on top of her sister's. And then she realised that for some time she didn't know what was going in Nanoha's mind. Not that she didn't _want_ to know, she just couldn't find the best way to approach the brunette. Although they still had over half an hour before reaching their house, she decided to wait for now, the time before going to sleep was probably the best to talk with Nanoha. Besides, she didn't really wanted their parents to know yet. No, if it was possible then she wanted to do it alone.

After their arrival, at ten pm, they managed to unpack their things rather fast. Nanoha was rarely speaking during that time, laying the blame on her tiredness when Momoko tried to talk with her. Even if it was a family trip, Fate and Nanoha spent rather little time with their mothers. They wanted to have some fun with their, mostly childhood, friends and the two women understood it perfectly, hanging out with Lindy for those three days.

Fate decided that having a talk with Nanoha in the brunette's room would be the best. Familiar place could make the girl more open and maybe a little less reserved. In fact, the blonde had to consider every single detail she could. And so she had also decided to not hug her sister suddenly before going to sleep and, what was harder than she expected, to keep some distance between them. Just in case. When they finished unpacking their things from the car, Nanoha went to her room and Fate followed her in silence. When they reached the door, the brunette put her hand on a knob and stopped abruptly. "Um, Fate-chan," She started shyly, looking everywhere but at Fate. Her voice was weak and trembling when she spoke again. "I think that Arisa-chan was right back then," The blonde's stomach twisted, as if she knew what her sister was going to say. "We really need to stop sleeping with each other." And it was done. "I really don't want people to call you a freak or something." Nanoha finally raised her head and looked at Fate, smiling. _No, stop it, take away this fake smile_; But the brunette continued. "Besides, we're already too old for this and-"

"I understand." Fate interjected, her tone was somewhat cold, even if she didn't intend it to be that way. But she didn't want to hear the rest. She looked at her feet. Had she lost her chance to talk with her sister? "Can we... talk for a while before going to sleep then?" She tried one more time, her voice was filled with hope she didn't want to give up so easily.

The brunette stayed silent for a while. "I'm sorry Fate-chan, I'm a little tired today."

Tired. Okay. That's it. She lost. "Good night then." Fate said with almost no emotion, then she turned around and left.

"I'm sorry, Fate-chan..." Nanoha rested her forehead on her door, opening them and stepping inside. Her room was filled with familiar scent, the one that made it a unique place to her. She put her things on the floor, deciding to unpack them the next day, made her bed and changed her clothes. Instinctively, she reached her hand to open the door but stopped in the midway, remembering what she said a while ago. She felt a sharp sting of pain in her heart as she turned the light off and lay down on her bed. The sheets were cold and it somehow felt empty with only her lying there. Nanoha curled up and closed her eyes, pulling the cover up to her chin. Snuggling up to her pillow, she felt a faint scent of her sister. It was comforting to her but still something was wrong, going to sleep before was different than lying alone like this. She missed the warm that Fate's body gave her every night. Nanoha immediately regretted her decision but it was necessary, wasn't it? At least she tried to justify her action in that way. She could do something stupid again and she had that much luck only that time. Besides, maybe Arisa was right? She said it before but it wasn't really what she was thinking. But suddenly it became clear to Nanoha that someone really could see her relationship with Fate in that way. She herself didn't actually mind what strangers were saying about her, she cared for her friends' words much more instead, but what about her sister? She knew that the blonde was a strong girl but if one knew her weak spots they could hurt her easily. Nanoha didn't want to see Fate hurt. Yet she had to do it, she had to hurt the girl now to avoid doing it later, probably in much more painful way. But still she hated herself for doing that.

The night was hard for Nanoha. She couldn't fall asleep, no matter how much she tried. Many times she reconsidered going back to Fate, falling on her knees and begging the girl for forgiveness. She even got up from her bed once and went to her sister's room but stopped before opening the door. If she was so weak that she couldn't even sleep alone then how was she going to handle her life without Fate in it? It was obvious to her that they would finally come to the point where her sister would get married and would leave their family house. Even if a thought about someone else 'having' Fate was quite terrifying to her, she had to admit that it was the most plausible scenario. In the end, she came back to her room and cried herself to sleep.

* * *

For the first time in her life Nanoha was glad that she was completely alone at home. Momoko went to work in the bakery, along with Kyouya and Miyuki, while Precia had to go on the meeting at the University. Fate just went somewhere when everyone else had left the house. It also made Nanoha realise how miserable she became in the last few days. She stopped talking to her friends and immersed in dark thoughts that her mind was constantly bringing out. At first she wanted to go somewhere, to take a long walk through the park and think about everything one more time. Which one was it already? She didn't know. She changed her mind, however, after looking at her reflection in a mirror and decided to stay at home. Her eyes were sunken, somehow devoid of their old shine, her skin paled significantly after an almost sleepless night. The sight was bad, to say the least. No, it was plainly horrible and for the first seconds Nanoha didn't even recognize the person she was looking at. Was it really _her _reflection? She went back to her room and decided to stay there for a while. She came out when she was sure that the house was empty.

Nanoha went to the kitchen to prepare her belated breakfast even if she wasn't so hungry. Only out of habit she opened a fridge and saw a few, neatly packed sandwiches with her name written on a piece of paper. Had one of her mothers prepared her a food? She looked at the paper and recognized her sister's writing. There wasn't anything else on the back. She put the piece into her pocket and started eating the first sandwich. It was sweet, filled with cottage cheese and honey, Nanoha's favourite food. The taste cheered her up but she felt down almost instantly when she realised how kind Fate was despite the brunette's recent behaviour. However, after eating all sandwiches, she had to admit that she felt better than before. Her sister was still thinking of her and it gave her strength to make everything all right again. Even if she knew that things would not be the same any more.

Never had Nanoha been particularly concerned with her look. It became clear to her when she tried to give herself her a 'normal', daily appearance. She had only a few cosmetics and nothing that could help her with masking her current state. A few years ago Fate had stated that Nanoha had a natural beauty and putting make up in her case wasn't necessary. The blonde, on the other hand, had an impressive collection of different lipsticks, powders and other cosmetics that could help her with achieving the look she wanted. The fact that Fate had rarely used them was a mystery even to Nanoha, as the girl stated that she bought them 'just in case'. The brunette didn't have much choice. Either she had to spend the whole day in her room, including lying to her mothers and thinking up a story of being sick, or she had to go to Fate's room and borrow a few of her accessories. The choice was rather simple and Nanoha didn't wait for her conscience to kick in, scolding her for taking others' things without asking.

It was also the time when Nanoha learned that putting a good looking make up was harder than she thought. She had needed it only a few times in her life and usually it was Fate who would help her with it. In the end, she had to spend almost an hour in Fate's room, trying to figure out how to not overdo it. Twice she had to wash away what she had put, mostly because it gave her a look of a cheap hooker. Finally, when she gave herself a semblance she was satisfied with, she threw out all tissues and swabs to a small rubbish-bin under Fate's desk.

* * *

The day was long and boring for Nanoha. In the end she decided to take a walk to the park. Sitting at home and depressing herself wasn't the best thing to do in her case so she decided to breathe some fresh air. The weather was rather fine, the sun wasn't shining too hard and occasional clouds on the sky made the temperature fairly tolerable. Add the light wind, blowing from time to time, and the weather was more than great for a walk. Holidays made the streets full of children and young people, hanging out together during their summer break. Nanoha passed by a small shop with ice creams, then she stopped and turned around, deciding to buy herself one. She choose a chocolate one with a lot of toffee icing. Satisfied with her choice, she turned to the park and started walking slowly, delighting in her ice cream. She sat on a small bench after a while, got rid of a guy, who wanted to take her on a date, and took a long breath. Sitting there and listening to birds' singing was truly intoxicating. Nanoha was surprised by how such small pleasures could change her mood so significantly.

She didn't want to bring out her depressing thoughts again. Not yet. Just for a while she wanted to forget about every bad thing awaiting her. She just needed to be careful to not fall asleep in the middle of the park. Slowly, her mind started to drift towards Fate. The blonde's smile, her gentle voice and her beautiful eyes. All of it filled Nanoha's heart with indescribable warmth and guilt in the same time. She had hurt her sister badly and she had to find a way to make things better again. And then she came up with the greatest idea in the world. How about making dinner for the rest of her family? Nanoha was pretty good at cooking, although traditional dishes were Fate's forte, she herself knew a few foreign ones. Besides, making dinner, not only for her mothers but also for her sister, could show the blonde that she still cared for her in a way, and it was good to show her gratitude for the breakfast. She decided to make something simple that everyone liked. Lasagne? No, it was too much work for her alone, then how about spaghetti? Yes, it was a good choice, over the last few years she managed to develop her own recipe for the best spaghetti. The dish somehow reminded her of a guy who ended up in jail for smuggling pasta. It was a rather loud case back then.

She made a quick list of the things she had to buy, checked if she had enough money and went to the closest grocery shop. She bought some fresh tomatoes, a pack of pasta and some mince meat. She went back to her, still empty, house and started to prepare the dinner. It was almost 1pm, time was passing by rather quickly and everyone would come back soon, it was a matter of fifteen minutes up to half an hour. Precia came back a while before Nanoha managed to prepare everything and, despite the brunette's pleadings, she helped her daughter with the rest, in the end rewarding her with a hug. Nanoha couldn't help but smile as the two waited for the rest of the family. Momoko, Kyouya and Miyuki came back after a few minutes, surprised and glad that the dinner was ready. "So now we're waiting just for Fate-chan." Nanoha informed when everyone took their seats.

"Ah, Fate called me some time ago," Momoko started. "She said that she will eat with her friend." She gave her daughter an apologetic smile.

"Ah, in that case..." Nanoha looked down. Damn it. She should had checked that first. "Let's eat then." She sat down and took her fork.

"Mm, tasty!" Miyuki couldn't hold her excitement. Nanoha just smiled sadly. "Don't worry," Her sister tried to cheer the girl up. "I'm sure Fate-chan will eat it after she comes back."

"Thanks." The younger brunette answered, getting back to her dish. Eating without Fate wasn't that good. Then again, doing almost everything without her sister wasn't the same.

After the dinner Nanoha was literally shooed away from the kitchen by Momoko and for some time she was just walking around the house without any particular purpose. Going back to her room meant staying all alone with her dark thoughts, sitting with her parents could expose to them that something was wrong with her. She was about to pass Fate's room again when she stopped and opened the door, stepping inside. And she felt something she hadn't noticed ever before. The room was literally filled with the blonde's presence. Although Nanoha was the only person there, she could easily tell that it was where her sister lived. Somehow this knowledge calmed her down and she started to wonder how could she miss this earlier. She had been here so many times and yet it was the first time she felt like this. She closed her eyes and inhaled Fate's intoxicating scent. She sat in the blonde's swivel chair, rotating a few times before lying on her bed. She had to admit that she was clearly addicted to her sister. It wasn't going to help.

After almost half an hour spent in Fate's room, she decided to go back but stopped in the midway to the door, remembering that she threw out everything she used to put her make up to her sister's rubbish-bin. Leaving all proofs of her activities like that wasn't the best idea if she really wanted to hide her 'original' appearance. She crawled under the desk and started to take out the things she threw. Suddenly, she spotted something that called her attention. It was a small brochure, like the ones that people often distribute near the University. She took it out and started to read.

* * *

Fate came back home in the evening. She had been being to Hayate's for the almost whole day, consulting with her friend the case considering her sister. She had a great opportunity to rethink everything and, together with Hayate, she came up with a plan of bringing the old Nanoha back. It wasn't really complicated, in general, she had to talk her sister into meeting with Hayate again and then combine her forces with the shorter brunette. In the meantime she also needed to pull out as many things from Nanoha as she could. The only problem was Nanoha herself. If she really was avoiding Fate then she probably had a good reason to do it. Despite this, the blonde had believed in her success. She had to do it. After all, she couldn't let her beloved sister fall into depression, could she?

The sudden change in Nanoha's behaviour made Fate only more determined to find the way to reach to the girl. Of course, it wasn't like that the blonde herself was unaffected by her sister's more and more strange acting. The sudden confession the night before left her more confused than anything. In fact, that night she was close to tearing her hair in frustration. But she wasn't mad at Nanoha. No, she was mad at herself. Because she was unable to see the reason behind the brunette's actions. No matter how much she tried she just couldn't see why would Nanoha want to distance herself so suddenly. And the morning after that she came up with, as Hayate described it, the most weird reason she could find. During the trip they were eating more traditional meals so Fate decided that the lack of sweets drove her sister crazy. The thought itself was stupid enough for the blonde to throw it away and forget but it gave her an idea she would probably never get by thinking only in rational way. And so she made some sweet sandwiches for Nanoha, hoping that it would cheer the girl up. Had she succeeded? She didn't know.

After coming back home, Fate entered her room and changed her clothes for the clean ones. A bath would also be a good idea but she was kind of running out of time. It was already 9pm and she wasn't sure if Nanoha was asleep or not. She checked her general appearance one more time, quickly finger-combed her hair and, taking a deep breath, she went to her sister's room. She knocked at the door lightly and waited for response. "It's me, Nanoha, I... wanted to talk with you." Silence. "Can I come in?" She tried once again.

"Yes, you can."

She finally heard in response. Slowly, she opened the door and peeked inside. It was rather dark, with a small night lamp as a source of light. But the blonde could tell that the room hadn't changed at all from the last time she was there. Although it were only a few days, to her, it felt like a lot more than that. Fate stepped inside and spotted her sister immediately. Nanoha was sitting on her bed, resting her back on the wall behind her. She looked normal. Too normal. Dressed as always, with her hair tied in an off-centered ponytail. The blonde closed the door but decided to keep the distance so she sat down on Nanoha's chair. She opened her mouth, not really sure how to start, when she spotted a brochure lying on her sister's desk. "Studies in USA?" She read the title and her eyes widened when she realised what it actually meant. "Nanoha, why do you have this?" She asked, her voice shaky.

Nanoha looked through her open window. "I'm sorry, Fate-chan, I wanted to tell you earlier but-"

"What do you mean by 'I wanted to tell you earlier'?" Fate stood up, breathing heavily. It was too much for her. Why was it even happening in the first place? She opened her mouth to speak but Nanoha was faster.

"I want to go, Fate-chan," She started and Fate's voice seized up. _Wait, don't finish this sentence_; The blonde's mind pleaded as she stood there with her mouth open. "I want to study abroad." The brunette said, finally looking at her sister, another weak, fake smile on her face. Was it everything? Was it going to end like this?

"Why?" That was the only thing that Fate managed to say.

"Because America has so much more possibilities." Really? Was it all just about possibilities? "And it will be better that way."

Fate had expected Nanoha to say almost everything _but_ this. It shattered everything she and Hayate were working on. All of the blonde's hope was suddenly gone. 'It will be better that way.' Did it mean that she was just an obstacle for Nanoha for this whole time? Had she been unwittingly hurting her sister for all those years spent together? "I'll... go now." Fate stammered finally and walked out of the room in silence.

As soon as she closed the door to her own room, she felt tears coming to her eyes. She leaned herself on the wall, resting on her hand, and thought once again about her sister's words. It hurt; every single word Nanoha said hurt her; It was already far too much for Fate and she knew that bottling up her feelings wouldn't do anything good. So she didn't even try to stop herself from crying. She collapsed on the floor, with one hand still on the wall and the second one wiping her tears. Again, why was Nanoha so determined to stay away from her? Had she done something wrong before? Had the brunette hated her and lied to her for all this time? If there was someone Fate couldn't live without then it was definitely Nanoha. They were twins, inseparable, they understood each other without words, they had spent their whole _life_ together, why she wanted to leave so suddenly?!

Tears were still running down, so much that the blonde couldn't wipe all of them when the door to her room opened. "Fate, are you asleep? I wanted you to- Fate? What's wrong?" The blonde felt a pair of warm arms wrapping around her and a pleasant scent of her mother's perfume hit her nose. "Shh, it's okay," Precia started to gently soothe the blonde. "Let it all out." She tightened the embrace and Fate instinctively lied her head on her mother's soft bosom. The warmth surrounding her was somehow comforting and after another few minutes of sobbing she finally calmed down, still snuggling up to the woman. "Do you feel better now?" Precia asked gently, stroking the girl's back with her hand lightly. Fate nodded her head in response and her mother continued. "Could you tell me what happened?"

It wasn't an easy question. It wasn't like Fate didn't trust any of her mothers. In fact, she trusted them to no end. But asking them for help meant no turning back. Not that she had any other possibilities left after her last talk with Nanoha. And she still was feeling some of her determination. "Okay," She said after a while of silence. She wiped her tears, most of them already dry, and looked into her mother's eyes. "I'm worried about Nanoha."

She told Precia everything she knew, except for the studying abroad thing. She wasn't sure if her sister really wanted to do it and, in addition, she didn't want to worry her mother more than it was necessary. The woman listened to Fate's story carefully, asking some questions from time to time. There were a few times when tears were appearing in the blonde's eyes while speaking but Fate tried her best to not cry again and to not miss any detail she knew.

"I see," Precia scratched her chin, chewing mentally all the things that her daughter had just told her. "So she's been acting like this since the beginning of the trip?" She asked and Fate nodded her head. "I'm going to tell Momoko about it, okay?" Fate nodded again and stood up along with her mother. "And where are _you_ going, young lady?" Precia's voice was a little lighter and cheerier, making Fate cheer up herself a bit.

"Um, with you, mother?" She asked with an innocent expression.

"You better go and get some sleep." The woman put little more serious expression on her face and turned around to left the room but stopped suddenly. "Oh, or maybe you want to sleep with us tonight?" She added.

"You're joking, right?" Fate stared at her in disbelief.

"Come on, give your mother some love," Precia smiled and the blonde realised that her mother wasn't joking at all. "It must be pretty lonely here anyway."

Resistance was futile, wasn't it? Stubbornness was something that Nanoha definitely took after Precia. "Okay, I'll wait for you in your bedroom." She gave up finally. Was there even a point in fighting? Her mother was right, sleeping alone wasn't something that Fate was accustomed to. And if she really wanted to help her sister, she had to be well-rested at least.

* * *

"Has she told you something?" Momoko asked when her wife stepped into the living room. Precia nodded her head in agreement and sat on a sofa, next to the brunette, putting her arm around her.

"It's just like we thought." She answered and repeated all she heard from Fate, drawing circles with her hand on the other woman's arm in a reassuring way. Momoko snuggled up a little and let out a sigh full of worry.

"What are we going to do?" She asked, taking a hold of her wife's hand. "She's our daughter, we need to help her."

"I wonder," The other woman seemed lost in her thoughts for a moment before continuing. "I think we should wait until Nanoha decides to come to us."

"Will she come?" Momoko asked with concern.

"She will." Precia answered calmly and kissed her wife's temple, tightening her hold around the woman. "She is a strong girl but she will finally come to us." After a minute of silence she added. "But I think that we should prepare for some news we weren't expecting before."

The two stood up when the third person entered the semi-dark room. Nanoha stopped in an entrance when she saw that her mothers were going to leave. "Um, do you have a while before going to sleep?" She asked, playing with her fingers nervously.

Momoko gave Precia an 'oh my, you were right' look and both sat down again. "Of course we have." She sent her daughter a warm, motherly smile.

Nanoha also sat down, but in one of the two armchairs, and looked at her lap. After a short while she raised her head and looked at the two women. "I... want to move out of the house." She stated finally. Silence filled the room, so deaf and thick that Nanoha could almost touch it.

Momoko turned to Precia, who in turn raised her eyebrows lightly. The black-haired woman looked at her daughter and said. "If that's the case then we're not going to stop you." Wait. What? Had Nanoha heard right? "But before," This time Momoko spoke. "Please, tell us why do you want to do this."

So they were not going to let her go without explanations. "I thought about studying abroad." She started and took out the brochure she found in Fate's room earlier, handing it to Momoko. "They have a very good specialisation closely related to astronomy." She waited for her mothers' response and, when none was given, she continued. "It would give me a lot of possibilities in the future."

"I understand," Momoko started, closing the brochure. "But a year ago you didn't even want to _hear_ about studying anywhere else than Fate." Nanoha looked down on her lap again. "Why so sudden change of decision?"

She couldn't avoid this question, could she? "I... hurt Fate-chan." Nanoha clenched her fists, trying to avoid crying by any means. "I hurt her a lot," She continued and felt that her defences were going to break. "And I don't know if I should stay with her any more." She finished, gritting her teeth, feeling hot tears running down her cheeks.

Momoko wanted to stand up and hug her crying daughter but Precia stopped her. When the girl calmed down, the woman asked. "Why did you hurt her?" Her voice wasn't demanding and accusing but gentle and soft, making Nanoha break down in tears again. It would be much easier for her if the woman started shouting, but the sympathetic tone she was using made the girl's will to stay strong only weaker.

"I..." Nanoha started but stopped, choking with her tears. She was about to say it, wasn't she? For the first time, she was going to spill out her secret. But she couldn't hold it inside any more, she had to let it out. She repressed the next wave of sobbing and rubbed her eyes with her hands. She took a few deep breaths and spoke again. "I'm in love with Fate-chan." And it was all said. She shut her eyes tightly, fearing her mothers' reaction but only silence met her. Carefully, she opened them once again and looked at the two women. But... why were they smiling?

"You did it sweetie." Momoko stood up and came closer, pulling her daughter in a tight hug while Precia did the same.

For a few minutes Nanoha couldn't form a sensible sentence. She was just staring blankly at the empty sofa before her. Were they... not going to shout at her? Were they not going to call her a freak? But instead they were... congratulating her? Why? She was in love with her own sister, she definitely wasn't normal, why would anyone want to congratulate her? But the reality was totally different. Her mothers weren't angry at her even in the slightest. Nanoha felt as if a huge burden fell from her heart. But wait, there was one thing she wanted to know. When she finally managed to gather her words, she asked. "Have you known about it before?"

"No, we haven't." Precia answered honestly, stroking her daughter's head one more time before sitting back on the sofa.

So why did they accept it so easily? "Then why..." Nanoha started but changed her mind. "You're... not going to... hate me?" That was the first time she saw a sheer anger on Precia's face.

"Have you really thought for all this time that we're going to hate you for falling in love?" This time the woman's voice wasn't gentle but sharp and scolding. "I don't remember rising my daughter in that way."

Nanoha shifted in her seat and looked at her lap, feeling her face becoming more and more red. "I'm sorry..." She stammered silently. Yes, she thought that for the whole time. And now, when her mother asked her about it, she felt ashamed of herself. Had she really been _that_ blinded by her fear?

"Nanoha," Momoko started before the silence became unbearable for the girl. "We would never hate you for this." She sat down next to her wife, taking the woman's hand.

"We have made this family so you and Fate could be happy." Precia continued with milder voice. "I won't blame you for being scarred of your feelings but I'm disappointed in you that you thought of us so lowly."

"I'm sorry, mother." Nanoha looked down once again but she had to admit that after this scolding she felt a little better. "I won't ever doubt you again."

"I hope so." Her mother's tone was already devoid of anger. "But there is still one question left."

Ah. That's right. She had told them _that_ after all. Nanoha's stomach twisted and the girl grimaced when she realised what Precia was going to ask her. "Yes?" She asked with uncertain voice. She definitely wasn't going to like the next question.

"What are you going to do?" Momoko spoke calmly. "If you want to run away from the problem then we are in no position to stop you. You're an adult after all. But the question is: Are you prepared to face the consequences of your recent behaviour?"

Just as she thought. But the truth was that she herself didn't know what to do any more. "I don't know." She answered honestly and once again felt weak and clueless about what to do next. "I just don't know..." She looked at her mothers with pleading eyes. "I want to be with Fate-chan again, I want her to be happy but I fear that I may end up hurting her," This time she didn't try to stop herself from telling everything. It was already too late anyway. "I don't want to hurt her again," She continued. "And I don't want to leave her..." Her voice started to get weaker and she felt new tears coming to her eyes but she quickly wiped them before they could spill.

"Then tell her." Precia answered simply.

Nanoha looked at her, not believing her ears. "What?" She asked after a while and quickly composed herself. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Tell her your feelings." The woman repeated. "You owe it to her." Then her expression darkened. "Or maybe you want to tell me that you were going to lie to her again?"

Nanoha shaken her head in disagreement. No, she was not going to do so. But to be honest, she didn't think about confessing to her sister either. To her, it was the most crazy idea she heard that evening and, in addition, it didn't come out of her own mouth. But her mother got the point. If lying to Fate was not an option then how could she explain everything to her? And that way Nanoha came to the next point. She owed her sister explanations. But if it had been that simple than she would had done it much earlier. "I don't know how she will react," Her doubts started to overcome her.

"You'll never know until you try." Precia answered without hesitation.

"But... She may hate me for this..."

"Do you really think that Fate would be able to hate you?" Her mother asked, sighing silently. "She can't even sleep without you."

Nanoha couldn't help but giggle. "How did you know?" She asked when she realised that she missed that detail in her story.

"By accident." Precia gave her a smile but her expression became serious again when she saw that her daughter's mood fell down once more.

"But what if she rejects me? Will I be able to love her as a sister again?" That was definitely the most difficult aspect of the whole case. If four years hadn't take her love away then was there a way to do it?

"Will you be able to forgive yourself for not even trying? It's true that in the end it will be her decision but at least give her a fair chance to answer."

Again, it was something she had never thought about. But still, there was one thing left on her mind. "I am not worthy of her. I'm a deviant who fell in love with a member of her family, things like that shouldn't even happen yet..." She stopped, feeling that she went too far this time.

"...Yet we are not able to chose a person we fall in love with." This time it was Momoko speaking. "And I don't think that you are not worthy. You have a kind, loving heart, you care for your sister, you put her well being before your own. I think it's very noble of you." Precia nodded her head in agreement.

It was all so confusing. She wanted to do it but she feared to do it. And she had even gained the support of her mothers. Moreover, they were almost pushing her to confess her feelings. Something she had never, ever dreamt about. All she had to do was to gather her courage. Was she able to do it? She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. "If... By any chance... She says 'yes'," She stopped, wondering how to formulate the rest of the question but Precia forestalled her.

"You have our full support."

In all honesty she didn't believe in that scenario. And maybe because somewhere deep down in her heart she felt that her sister _could_ feel the same, she decided to tell her. No more waiting, no more thinking, faster than all her second thoughts. She got up but was stopped by Precia. The woman gave her a quick hug. "Do your best." She kissed her daughter's forehead. "Fate is in our bedroom right now. Use as many time as you want." She released the girl and stepped aside, letting her go. Nanoha took another deep breath and made the first step.

"We did the right thing, didn't we?" Momoko asked with concern when their daughter left. "Oh my god, our daughters are in love with each other! What are we going to do?" The realisation finally hit the woman as she hid her face in her hands. It was a part of her that Precia loved, she was always able to react in a right way before getting carried by her emotions.

"Everything to make them happy." Precia answered, hugging her wife.

"You believe in love, don't you?" Momoko questioned when she calmed down.

"If I didn't then I wouldn't be here with you now." She responded and gently kissed the other woman.

* * *

What was taking them so long? Fate was lying on her back, ready to fall asleep, looking at the celling. She decided to wait a few minutes longer before going to sleep. On the other hand, she was excited. She felt like the next day could change her life forever. She trusted her mothers and believed that they would find a way to bring Nanoha to her normal self. Her sister was truly everything for the blonde and every thought about separation made her sick. Suddenly, a light knock pulled her out of her thoughts. What was wrong with her mothers? Knocking to their own bedroom? "Yes?" She answered and the door opened.

Nanoha stepped inside hesitantly, stopping after a few steps and closing the door. "Fate-chan..." She started with a shaky voice. "I... There is something I need to tell you."

* * *

**A/N:** And it's done. It came out more angsty than I expected and I finished it with more nasty cliffhanger than I intended to. It was supposed to be divided into two shorter chapters but I decided to make one longer. I thought it would be better that way.

Now, a thing about characterization. I'm not entirely sure if I managed to keep heroines in character. It's true that there are some differences between my story and canon but it's mostly due to AU issue. Anyway, sometimes one person can't see some obvious things but the other one sees them rather well. If you see an OOCness not resulting from totally different setting (Fate was not abused by her mother, she didn't have to fight with Nanoha and they were together right from the beginning) then please, drop me a message about it. Constructive Criticism is always appreciated and I take it rather well.

One more thing, 'a guy who ended up in jail for smuggling pasta' is a reference to a certain pathetic villain from the series (aka Jail Spaghetti) and somewhat an indication of my, sometimes strange, sense of humour.

With that said, 'till the next time!


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: **SapphoSensei: Thanks for the suggestion! I've proofread this chapter more times than I usually do so I hope that this time the number of mistakes decreased. Then again, I'm only a human and I'm not able to catch every typo. First three chapters (including prologue) still need some editing, mostly because of a certain mistake I've been repeating during that time. I'll probably proofread the whole story once again after finishing it.

And there is one more thing, to be honest, I paired Precia with Momoko mainly to let Nanoha be the character she was in the series. I believe that her canon mother was a huge influence to her and, to me, it was a necessary action to keep Nanoha's character not only closer to anime, but also more believable and reasonable.

With that said, have a good read.

* * *

**The Meaning of Us**

**Chapter 5  
**

**By: Caelion  
**

"There is something I need to tell you." Nanoha repeated and stepped into the light, threw by a small night lamp. Fate's eyes widened when she looked at her sister's face. Tears had washed away the brunette's make up, leaving her pale skin exposed again. Crying made her eyes bloodshot, her breathing was uneven which only added to her horrible look. For a while Fate expected the girl to fall into her arms and she even wanted to stand up to hold her but she stopped halfway.

Nanoha bowed her head repentantly instead. "I'm sorry..." She stammered. "For what I've said to you." Her voice was shaky and uncertain. "And for what I've done to you," She stopped and raised her head slowly, looking into Fate's eyes. "I know that things will not be the same but... Please, forgive me."

She didn't have to say it twice. Fate got up as fast as she could and hugged her sister tightly. "Stupid," She scolded her gently and pressed her to her heart. "Of course I forgive you." She was truly happy. She wanted to cry, laugh and cuddle with her sister at the same time. She resisted her urge to lift the brunette and placed a small kiss on the girl's head. But something was wrong. Nanoha usually didn't need much to cheer up but this time she was too silent. "Nanoha?" Fate asked, not sure any more what to say next. Was there something more to this?

Nanoha was torn between staying in her sister's warm arms and doing what she came for. But if she wasn't going to tell her now then when was she supposed to do it? It was now or never. "I said that I wanted to tell you something." One more time she pressed her face to Fate's body, not seeing a confused look on the blonde's face. "I haven't told you yet." This time she pulled out of the hug and stepped back a little. She looked at her sister and took a deep breath. Now or never. "I love you, Fate-chan." She put everything she had to make her voice strong and firm. She tilted her head cutely and smiled sadly when the words left her mouth. Fate was just watching her in silence. Then, she wanted to return the statement but Nanoha stopped her. "I love you as a woman." She continued, this time making the blonde speechless. And the dam, holding Nanoha's feelings inside her, broke again. "I want to hold you, kiss you, make love to you..." The brunette felt that her voice started to falter at the last words. She fell down on her knees and hid her face in her hands, crying openly. "Please, don't hate me, Fate-chan..." She stammered through her tears.

Fate reacted instinctively, kneeling down next to her sister and pulling her into a comforting hug. But a true storm of thoughts was going through her mind. Nanoha was in love with her? She wanted to kiss her? Like lovers do? Have... sex with her? Her ears were burning red at the thought alone. She tried to put her thoughts in order but her common sense decided to fail her in that, particular moment and, in the end, she wasn't able to think about anything at all. When Nanoha's muffled sobs reached Fate's ears, she put aside all of her thoughts and decided to take care of the crying girl for now. "Shh," She started to soothe the brunette, leisurely stroking her brown hair. "I would never hate you, Nanoha," She said it, but had she really been thinking that way? In fact, she wasn't disgusted with her sister's confession even in a little bit, it was just all so confusing to her. But strangely all of it had been making sense. "Have you been avoiding me because of this?" She asked gently and the girl nodded her head in agreement. So that's why. It must had been hard for her, hiding her feelings like that. And then a thought struck Fate. How long had Nanoha been feeling like this? If she was in this state already then it couldn't be a month or two. She took her sister's face and looked into her eyes, wiping her tears in the same time. "Nanoha, how long?"

The girl averted Fate's eyes, looking at a point somewhere behind the blonde's neck. "Four years, I think..." She lowered her gaze, still shaking a little.

Four years? Had she been suffocating herself for four years? Fate pulled Nanoha to her again. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Her voice was soft and comforting but also a little reproaching in the same time.

"I... I was scarred," Nanoha said shyly, finally calming down. "I didn't want to risk breaking our relationship," She curled up on Fate's lap, the blonde was pleasantly warm. It was summer but Nanoha was feeling strangely cold. "I didn't want to be more selfish than I already was." She was truly merciless for herself.

Fate closed her eyes, not knowing what to say. She knew that Nanoha was blaming herself for everything and in the same time she was looking for comfort in the blonde's arms. The girl must had went through a lot, becoming like that was only natural for her after such kind of breakdown. Suddenly, Fate felt Nanoha pushing her away, trying to stand up. "Wait," She tightened her hold around her sister. "Please, don't go yet," She couldn't let her go, not now, when the girl only started opening herself to her.

"Fate-chan," The brunette stopped her efforts and relaxed a little. Then she just smiled sadly and gently pulled out from Fate's hug. "It's the only way, isn't it?"

Fate was confused, to say the least. Why had Nanoha told her everything in the first place if she wanted to leave anyway? She had to think something up, she had to stop her sister, she didn't want to be separated from her. But her mind just gave up, offering her only empty ideas.

"I couldn't possibly ask you to be my girlfriend after all of this, could I?" The brunette continued, wiping a stray tear running down her cheek. "Besides, we're sisters, we can't have that kind of relationship." Her mothers could encourage her to do it but what about others? There were so many reasons that prevented them for loving each other in that way. Society, the rest of their family, their friends...

The blonde listened to her and cursed her mouth for taking all of her words away in such important moment.

Nanoha took advantage of Fate's silence and spoke again. "It will be okay, Fate-chan, I'll go to America for a few years and..." Her voice started to break again but she continued stubbornly. "I'll come back when... I'll be able to love you in a normal way... again..." She sniffed silently and tried to repress her tears.

Fate managed to finally gather her words. "Why are you doing this to yourself?" She asked. It hurt her to see her beloved sister in such miserable state. "There must be another way." She thought about other possibilities again. If there really were such then she was going to find them.

"Thank you, Fate-chan," Nanoha's response was silent but clear. She sniffed lightly and continued. "But it won't do any good to both of us." The brunette came closer and snuggled up to Fate to feel the warmth one more time, closing her eyes. She owed her sister an honest answer so she went on. "You see, Fate-chan, it's true that I'd rather to stay here, with you, but... I can't take it any more." A long pause before she spoke once again. "Being with you and knowing that you don't feel the same-"

"I don't know." The blonde interrupted her.

"What?" Nanoha opened her eyes sharply and looked at the girl.

"I don't know if I don't feel the same." Fate repeated thoughtfully, staring at the floor.

No, it couldn't be true. The blonde was surely just trying to make Nanoha stay with her. "It's okay, Fate-chan," Nanoha said with alleviating voice. "You don't have to push yourself to anything-"

"No, it's not okay," Her sister interjected abruptly, her voice was sharp and determined. "Yes, I'm confused right now, yes, I don't know what to do any more, but if your decision depends on my feelings then I want to be sure." She clenched her fist tightly and bit her lower lip. "I want to be sure what I feel." It was true that Nanoha couldn't ask her out in that situation. Or rather, she _could_ but she was too convinced of her own guilt and selfishness. So the only way to make the brunette stay was _Fate_ asking Nanoha out. But even Fate had to admit that lying and faking her feelings could result with something much more painful than a few years of separation for both of them. She gulped and took a breath. "When do you have to apply to the college?" She asked and fear started to consume her. What if it was already too late?

"The day after tomorrow is the last day." Nanoha's voice faltered. "After that... After getting their response, I'll need to personally fly there." So it meant only a few days of being together. The brunette had no doubt about accepting her application. Her grades were just too good. To her astonishment, the blonde let out a sigh of relief. "Fate-chan?" She asked, surprised.

A small smile appeared on Fate's face. "Nanoha," She took the girl's hand in her both and looked into her eyes. "I want to try."

What? Did the blonde say what she just said? Nanoha gave her a confused look and Fate continued.

"I want to try to find out my true feelings." She repeated a little louder. "Please, give me one day before applying."

It was all turning into totally different direction. Nanoha was supposed to be the one confessing and asking the other out, not Fate. So why was the blonde so stubborn about it? Why she wanted to try so desperately? Had Nanoha just got her chance to change her dream into reality? Her mothers' words still lingered in her mind. Maybe they were right? Was there something wrong in trying? But what if she was just rising her hopes up? What if Fate was not going to return her feelings in the end? She opened her mouth to say that it was pointless but something told her that all of it was worth trying. Even if failure meant only more pain. "Okay." She said finally and felt that her sister's tense muscles loosened up significantly.

Fate crawled to her mothers' bed and rested her back on it's edge, closing her eyes and sighing again. So there was still some hope left. Suddenly, she felt her tiredness entwining her slowly. It was a truly hard day for both of them. "Let's go to sleep now, okay?" Fate suggested, standing up and helping the other girl.

Nanoha nodded her head and took her sister's hand. "By the way," The brunette started curiously. "Why were you lying here instead of your room?"

Fate stopped in the midway to the door. That's right, she was supposed to sleep with her mothers this night. A little change in her plans wasn't going to hurt. "Ah, that's not important now." She scratched her head, which made Nanoha giggle. Oh how she missed her sister's cute laugh. They went to the brunette's room when Fate stopped right before the door.

"What's wrong?" Nanoha asked and looked at the blonde who suddenly started to study her feet carefully. Ah, after all she had told her sister that they shouldn't sleep together. But she didn't want to be alone again. Only this time. Only once. "Um, Fate-chan," She started playing with her fingers nervously. "Do you mind sleeping with me tonight?"

Fate looked at her shyly. "Actually... I was going to ask the same..." They were gazing into each other's eyes before they burst out with light laughter. It was so good to be together again, even if it could be the one of their last times.

They entered inside and Fate went to make the bed while Nanoha went to take a quick bath. The blonde sat down on the bed and sighed. She had a difficult task to complete. Never had she thought about her feelings towards Nanoha before. Was it even possible that her love was something more than just sisterly bond and she didn't know about it? And on top of that, she had never been in love with someone before. How was she supposed to know her feelings when she didn't even know what to look for? The next day was definitely going to be hard for her.

* * *

Fate started her 'researches' right at the beginning of the next day. If she was unable to do it alone then she was going to ask her friends for help and a certain Yagami was currently on top of her last dialled numbers.

"Hallo?" The blonde heard a sleepy but familiar voice in her phone.

She looked at a small watch in her room, which she forgot to check earlier, and facepalmed. It was 8am, while getting up early was normal for Fate, then her friend definitely wanted to sleep longer. "Ah, hey, Hayate-chan, sorry for calling you so early, I kind of..." Forgot to check the time. She finished in her thoughts.

"Oh, Fate-chan," Hayate answered with more awakened voice. "What's up? Have you had a talk with Nanoha-chan?"

"Yes, I had, but it's not about that, I mean, I'll tell you the result later, okay?" What was she saying? If it wasn't about _that_ then about _what_ was it? The brunette let out a short 'ah' while Fate continued. She had to think something up and she had to do it quickly. "Let's say that... a guy asked me out and I..." It was a horrible lie but it was too late anyway. "You know, I don't know if he's the... right one." She stopped and heard nothing but silence. Ah, right, the question. "So my question is: how can I get to know this?" She was so screwed if Hayate was going to find out the truth.

"Hmm, so you want to know if a guy who asked you out is the right one..." The girl's voice surprised Fate. She expected Hayate to question her which would finally lead to an endless teasing but a serious tone the brunette used wasn't something that Fate was prepared for.

"Mhm, I wonder if you could give me some kind of... advice."

"Sure," Hayate answered in an instant. "Try kissing him."

Oh, right. That was so simple. "What?!" Fate almost dropped her phone but quickly composed herself. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear what you said."

Her friend just repeated calmly. "Kiss him. If you find him not attractive enough to do it or if you have some restraints then is there even a point in going out with him?"

Fate though about Hayate's words. No, Nanoha was definitely attractive enough but kissing her... For now it was a little too much for the blonde. Did that mean that she had to give up and see her sister off in an airport? Then again, Hayate was known for her somehow strange attitude towards relationships so Fate decided to not treat her as an ultimate oracle in love issues.

"Fate-chan, are you still there?" A voice from the phone brought the blonde back to reality.

"Ah, yes, yes, thanks a lot, Hayate-chan!" She responded and quickly closed her phone, shivering suddenly.

Hayate put her device on her bed and smiled widely. "You are a terrible liar, Fate-chan..."

Fate sat in front of her desk and resisted an urge to hit it with her head. She was so hopeless, she couldn't even figure out her own feelings. And there was another problem. What if Hayate would get to know the real reason behind her question? Was she prepared for telling her friends the truth? It was all so complicated... And it weren't only her friends, what about her family? Her mothers? Even if the two were in the same sex relationship, they at least were not sisters.

Going that way, Fate got to the next issue. Her own sexuality. She had wondered about it before a little, it was only natural for her when most of her female friends had their boyfriends. But to her, males were not only not interesting, but also, even if she had never admitted it to anyone, ugly. On top of that, between the mass of people confessing to her in high school, she could remember at least a few girls. It had never disgusted her, moreover, she saw them as pretty and definitely worth her attention. If all of it wasn't already centred around Nanoha. Yes, her sister had always been everything to Fate, no matter what other people were saying about them. She got up and left her room. As soon as she stepped out she ran into Kyouya, which resulted in both of them falling on the floor.

"Ah, Fate, sorry," He helped the girl stand up, massaging his back.

Fate acted before she thought about what she was going to do. She dragged her older brother into her room and closed the door. "Um, Kyouya-niisan," She looked at her feet when she realised that it was kind of harsh of her. "Do you have a while? I have a problem..."

The man looked at her carefully before answering. "Actually, I have a few minutes left, how can I help you?"

"Thanks," Fate smiled lightly. "Could you tell me how... When you meet with a girl for some time, how do you know if she is the right one?"

Kyouya scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm, I don't know." He answered and Fate lowered her gaze again. "It's something I feel rather than know." He added. "It's hard to explain with words, in my case it's when just being with her makes me happy, then I can assume that she may be the right one."

"Assume?" Fate asked curiously. So was there even more to this 'romantic love' thing than just 'knowing' and 'feeling'? Mentally, she cursed her own luck for never falling in love before, even for a few days to know how it felt.

Kyouya smiled and patted the girl's arm. "Yeah, if I don't feel that she is special to me now, then I can only assume that one day she may become like that. And I just need to give her a chance." Then he looked at his watch and opened the door. "Ah, sorry, I need to go to work, I hope I was able to help." He gave the blonde a smile and left.

Fate felt like the world around her was going to spin. Nanoha definitely felt special to her. But it could be that because they were sisters. And her situation couldn't really let Fate give the girl a chance. All of it needed to be done in totally different way. An advice Kyouya gave her was good, just not in her case. She took out her phone, checking her watch this time, and decided to send a message to Suzuka. _'Hello there, Suzuka-chan, I need your help. Let's say that I was asked out by a good guy and I don't know what to respond. I don't want to say 'yes' and then break his heart by changing my mind so... How can I get to know the right decision?'_

Suzuka, mostly because of her cats, wasn't a sleepyhead and the response from her came quite fast. _''Let's say'? Okay, I guess you really have a problem. How about going on a date then? It doesn't have to be something obliging both of you, just hang out together and spend some time alone, maybe try acting a bit like a couple. You should know by the end of it. Good luck ;)' _A date? True, Fate hanged out with Nanoha often but she had never considered it a date. Suzuka got the point, it was something worth trying.

* * *

"Nanoha?" Fate opened the door to her sister's bedroom. She got up about an hour before the brunette and, the last time she checked, the girl was still sleeping. This time, however, Nanoha was sitting on her bed, wearing her clothes already and being basically ready for the day. "Good morning," The blonde greeted her and entered the room.

"Ah, morning, Fate-chan," The brunette gave her a small smile and Fate had to admit that the girl was either in much better mood or she was good in acting differently than she felt.

"Um, are you free today?" Fate decided to be straightforward. They were siblings after all, there was nothing wrong in going out on a date with her own sister, wasn't there?

"Yes, why?" Nanoha asked curiously, lightly rising her brows.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" The blonde proposed. "The weather is beautiful today." She topped her question with the warmest smile she could afford.

Nanoha looked at her, surprised at first, then her expression cheered up as she jumped off the bed. "Sure!" It's been a long time since their last walk together.

Fate noticed that Nanoha was keeping a little distance between them. She didn't take a hold of the blonde's hand like she had used to do before, she weren't shooting her some occasional glances, just looking at the road before her. _'Try acting a bit like a couple'_ Fate remembered Suzuka's words and decided to do so. If it was going to help her with finding out how she really felt towards her sister, then it was worth trying. A little hesitantly at first, she put her hand on Nanoha's small, feeling the girl tensing and then relaxing a bit at the touch. So she tried going further. Slowly, she moved from the brunette's back to her hip and gently pulled her closer, connecting their bodies.

"Fate-chan?" Nanoha asked with a tiny voice.

"Hm?" The blonde responded, acting like nothing happened.

"Um, it's nothing." The girl dropped the topic.

Fate decided that this moment of silence was good to measure her feelings. But everything was just as always. Her heart didn't start to beat faster, the sensation was as normal and natural for her as if she was touching her own body. True, she felt the pleasant softness of Nanoha's skin, through the material of her clothes, and the girl's warmth as well but it was all. They turned to the park and sat down on a small bench in a shade of a few trees, effectively separating them from the rest of people taking a walk there. Fate moved her hand a little higher and rested it on Nanoha's arm, letting the girl lean back on the bench. She tried to desperately remember what couples usually do in that situation. She looked around, hoping that she would see something that could help her. To her joy, she spotted a boy sitting with a girl not too far from them. She stared at the two as they started to move closer towards each other and she had to quickly turn her eyes on something different, not wanting to disturb their privacy. No, that stuff was not appropriate in her case. At least not in that kind of place, when someone they knew could see them. Next to her, Nanoha tried to hide her yawn. And it gave Fate a perfect idea what to do. She had seen this one in some romantic comedy her sister talked her into watching so it was definitely going to work. "Nanoha?" She asked with a gentle voice. "Are you sleepy?"

The brunette looked at her, then turned her head again. "A little, I wasn't sleeping too well lately and I woke up early today."

Fate smoothed out her skirt on her lap. "Do you want to get some sleep now?" She tried to make her voice as mild and inviting as possible.

Nanoha was clearly taken aback by the proposition. "Um, I'm not that sleepy, you know..." She masked her puzzlement with a small giggle. She stopped when she saw the blonde lowering her gaze. Was it that important to her? "But I think I may try after all." Slowly, she lay her head down on Fate's lap and felt her sister's hand resting gently on her hair. She closed her eyes and couldn't help but notice one more time how soft the girl was. Although the bench was not too comfortable, her 'pillow' was warm, making her feel safe; her drowsiness came back.

Fate started to stroke Nanoha's head. Again, she didn't feel anything she hadn't felt before. She had to admit that just sitting with her sister like that was pleasant, then again, it had always been like that. She was so helpless, trying to find the feelings she didn't even know about.

Nanoha truly fell asleep on Fate's lap. She woke up after a good hour of lying on the bench and started to massage her, a little sore, neck. "Fate-chan, were you sitting here with me for the whole hour?" She asked after looking at her phone.

"To be honest," Fate started and firmly reached out for her sister's hand. "I didn't even notice how much time passed." She smiled, grabbing what she wanted, and led them to the street again. "Are you hungry?" She asked when they left the park. "We have almost an hour to a lunchtime, how about taking a walk somewhere else and then getting something to eat?" The blonde looked at the other girl. "Or maybe you want to come back?"

"Nah, let's eat," Nanoha's voice was again as cheerful as always, although Fate found it a little suspicious, she decided to stay silent about it.

They came back home after almost two hours, talking and occasionally laughing on their way back. Nanoha was definitely in much better state than a day or two ago. Although the perspective of separation was taking it's toll on both girls, the brunette's confession the day before made her heart much lighter than ever. Fate saw it in her sister's eyes, their old shine was almost back and the thought that it may disappear again, and she would not be able to help, made the blonde push harder to reach her goal. But the progress was almost non-existent and, even if only the first half of the day passed, Fate was already running out of ideas.

After getting back, she decided to call one more person, although asking them for advice in love matter was almost as wise as giving Hayate naked pictures of herself and Nanoha, the blonde hadn't had much possibilities left. She took a deep breath, dialled the number and with shaky hands waited for response.

"Yes?" She heard finally.

"Hi there, Amy-san," She said cheerfully. Try to sound natural. Try to sound natural. The girl was an incredible babbler and every suspicious thing Fate could say, would be told to the rest of her family in a matter of hours.

"Oh, hello, Fate-chan? What's up?" Amy's enthusiasm, whenever it came to talking, was hard to overcome by some people. Nanoha called it playfully 'a natural selection', mostly because it successfully eliminated most of potential suitors and Chrono's ability to silence the girl was truly a mystery. Fate only hoped that she wasn't the weakest link.

"Um, I need an advice-" She started but her friend didn't let her finish.

"Have you finally found a boyfriend for yourself?"

Fate laughed nervously. "Actually, something like that, but I'm not sure of my feelings and-"

"Not sure?" Amy interrupted her again. "Could you elaborate on this one a little?"

The blonde quickly thought about what she was going to say and started to speak. "It's a little complicated, we've known each other for quite a while and now he's asking me out and... you know, I'm not sure how to respond."

"Aww, that's a rather serious matter, Fate-chan,"

In that moment, Fate was truly glad that one of Amy's interest was other people's love life. Though it could be as lethal as helpful. "Yeah, could you help me a little? The situation is a bit intricate and I have to hurry up with giving my answer."

"Sure, I'll help you. You know what?" The cheerfulness in the girl's tone was dangerous. "I'll tell you what I know and then I'll ask Lindy-kaasan about it. Maybe she'll be able to help too. She's rather experienced in those matters, you know?"

Fate's stomach twisted. If her aunt Lindy would get to know what she said there then she would definitely repeat it to her mothers and then... "Ah, no need to go that far, I'm sure she's busy and... stuff..."

"Mmm, okay, as you wish, but call me if you change your mind." Amy responded with a little disappointed tone.

Fate just let out a silent sigh. "'Kay, I'll make sure to do such." Though such a change was not planned.

"All right, then," Fate centred all of her attention on the girl's voice and Amy continued. "Here is my advice."

* * *

Fate closed her phone, massaging her ear and cursing Amy's babbling nature. After many minutes spent on talking, the girl basically told her everything Fate heard from her friends before, only attaching some 'examples' to every part. The blonde couldn't really blame her, she tried her best to help. Was there anything more she could do? It was still too early to give up. Then, she remembered Amy's words about Lindy. Yeah, Lindy could help her but- What about her mother then? She was Lindy's friend after all, and she had been in a few relationships herself so she probably could help her. Quickly, she went to check the bedroom. Empty. The living-room, also. In the garden she found Nanoha but no single sign of Precia.

Resigned, she wanted to go back to her room when she heard someone opening the front door. She went to check who was there and saw the black-haired woman changing her boots. "Mother," She started and bit her lip. Lying to her mother about her sudden interest in having a boyfriend was out of question. On the other hand, she didn't want to give her sister away.

"Ah, Fate," Precia came closer and gave the girl a quick hug. "How are you today? You've stood us up yesterday." She laughed lightly.

"Sorry," Fate averted her mother's eyes. "Nanoha came to make it up with me."

"Did she?" The woman put her hand on her daughter's arm and led her to the living-room. "I'm glad then." They sat down on the sofa and she continued. "But I feel that you still have a problem, am I right?"

"Mm," The blonde nodded her head and put her hands on her knees.

"Can I help you with it?" Precia asked gently, pulling Fate into a light hug.

The girl didn't resist and laid her head on her mother's arm. "I'm not sure of my feelings." She started and Precia raised her brow slightly. "Let's say..." Fate continued. "Let's say that there is someone who loves me and I want to return this feeling but..." She stopped, not knowing how to formulate the rest of the question.

"But you don't know if you love this person in the same way?" Her mother finished after a while of silence.

Fate couldn't help but see the woman as even more amazing than she already was in her eyes. She nodded her head in agreement. That was exactly her problem. She felt Precia's fingers gently stroking her hair and her mother spoke again.

"Sometimes not everything can be solved in a matter of a day or two."

That, however, was the response she feared of. "I know but... I don't have much time to answer."

"What I'm trying to say is that you're trying too hard. You're trying to find your feelings so hard that you could have already missed them."

Fate closed her eyes. So what was she supposed to do in that case? She had to try so hard, otherwise her sister would go away, taking the burden alone. "What should I do then?" She asked, still determined.

"Forget it." An instant answer.

That was something Fate didn't expect. How was that going to help her? "But-" She started but Precia silenced her with a gesture of her hand.

"Don't try to find your feelings." She continued. "If you really feel the same, but don't know about it, _they_ will find you."

Precia's advice made Fate only more confused. "I don't understand," She truly didn't. "How am I supposed to answer then?"

"Just be honest. Don't lie, tell the truth. If you don't know how you feel then say it. You don't know what will happen, sometimes simple things can trigger our feelings and emotions. Just being with that person, holding their hands for the last time, things like that can make you realise."

Fate looked at her lap sadly. It was a lottery, wasn't it? What if she would realise what she felt too late? It was all so hopeless right from the beginning. "Thank you mother," She responded silently and stood up. "I'll go now." She started to walk but the woman's voice stopped her suddenly.

"I'm sorry, Fate."

It was the first time when she heard her mother's voice lightly breaking. First time since her father's death.

"I'm sorry that I can't help you more."

The blonde looked at Precia and saw her sad expression. "It's okay." She hugged the woman, reassuring her. "It's going to be okay."

Precia stood up and looked into her daughter's eyes. "I should be the one saying it." She gave her daughter a small smile. "I'll be fine, go find your feelings." She gently kissed the girl's forehead, sending her off.

* * *

Fate entered Nanoha's empty room. She couldn't possibly feel worse than in that moment. Everything was going so wrong and she couldn't do anything about it. She was useless, she couldn't even stop her own sister from leaving. And the girl had just told her what she felt towards her. She probably needed so much courage to do it, and now, all her efforts were going to waste. Because Fate didn't know how _she_ felt about the brunette. She sat down on the bed, rested her back on the wall and hugged her knees. She didn't even notice how much time passed her on sitting there, depressing herself. The sound of footsteps pulled her out of her thoughts. The door opened and Nanoha entered inside.

"Fate-chan?" She stopped, apparently not expecting to see her sister there. "What's wrong?" She sat down on the bed, next to the girl.

"I'm sorry, Nanoha," The blonde started with sad voice. "I failed you." She looked at Nanoha and saw confused expression on her face. "I told you that I would find my feelings but... I just don't know how I feel." She let a few tears run down on her cheeks. "I just don't know..."

"It's all right, Fate-chan," The brunette took her sister's hand. "I... Was expecting things to go this way so..." She sighed lightly. She knew it right from the beginning but still it was so painful for her. "You tried, it means a lot to me." She gently stroked the blonde's head.

"If you... If you apply to the college, you are going to leave soon, aren't you?" Fate asked, feeling as if her heart was going to break in two when Nanoha nodded her head. Apparently it was also difficult for the brunette to talk about it. "Is there something I can do for you?" It felt only right for her to ask, she had raised her sister's hopes up and then told her that it was not going to work. To her astonishment, the girl giggled lightly.

"Thank you, Fate-chan but I couldn't possibly be more selfish than I already was." The laughter died as soon as it appeared and Nanoha looked down.

So there was something on her mind. "It's okay, Nanoha, I was selfish too, I tried to stop you because I didn't want you to leave so..." She caressed her sister's cheek lightly. "It's okay for you to be selfish too." She stated and managed to smile sadly.

Nanoha was battling with her thoughts for a while before speaking again. "Then..." She started with a shy voice. "Can I kiss you? Just once." Her cheeks burned red as soon as the words left her mouth and she looked down at her fingers.

A kiss? She was going to leave soon, they were not going to see each other for a few years. And all because Nanoha was in love with her. The brunette would be hurt the most of them. Fate decided that she could do at least that. "Yes." She responded and looked at Nanoha's face. The girl didn't move so she repeated gently. "Yes, you can."

Nanoha shook off her astonishment. "Are you sure?" She asked uncertainly, as if she feared that the blonde was going to change her mind. "It's going to be your first kiss-"

"I am." Fate interrupted her, giving her an encouraging smile. "And it will be your first too, am I right?"

The brunette giggled. Yes, it was going to be her first kiss. "Close your eyes then." She said silently, almost whispering. She tilted her head and rested her body on her arm, placing herself perfectly in front of the other girl.

Fate did as she was told, she licked her mouth, parted them slightly and waited. She felt her sister's hot breath on her face, then the warmth radiating from the brunette. Her heart started to beat faster and faster and, when their lips connected, she could swear that it skipped a beat or two. Their mouth were just touching but the feeling was like nothing she had experienced before. The softness of Nanoha's lips, their gentleness, all of it made the world around the blonde spin. Following her womanly instincts, she put her hand on her sister's neck and the other one was roaming on the girl's back. Suddenly, she felt a hot tear falling down on her face and Nanoha pulled back. "Wait," Fate said as soon as she caught her breath. She wanted to feel this one more time.

"Fate-cha-" The brunette started but her mouth were quickly closed by Fate's own. For a short while Nanoha struggled lightly to break free but gave up easily when her sister pulled her closed. The blonde felt like a lot of small butterflies filled her stomach. The taste of Nanoha's mouth was mixing with tears running down the brunette's cheek.

Fate stopped to take a breath and kissed Nanoha once again. And then one more time. And once more. She gently sucked the brunette's lower lip and tilted her head, starting a dance with her sister's tongue. Their kissing, from just gentle touching, went to more aggressive, almost frantic. Nanoha hugged Fate with both of her hands tightly and, losing her support, made both of them fall on the bed. This time neither of them wanted to stop, acting as if their life depended on it. They broke off only when their lips became swollen and too sore to continue.

"Fate-chan?" Nanoha finally managed to gather her words and looked at her sister, surprised.

The blonde just hugged her, pressing the girl to her heart. And she knew that it was the feeling she was looking for. The bliss she wanted to last longer. When butterflies in her stomach died down, she curled up with Nanoha, pressing every part of her body she could to the other's. "I won't let you go." She stated finally, hearing muffled cries coming from her sister. She caressed her head, comforting the sobbing girl and repeated. "I won't let you go."

* * *

**A/N: **One more chapter left. Today I'm going on a three-day trip myself so writing it may take me a little longer than the two last ones. Though I'm going to take my laptop with me and write some in my spare time. We'll see, expect the update no sooner than at Sunday.

See you next time!


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Firstly, I want to thank all the people who stayed with me during the story and kept writing comments. Thank you, without you I would probably never got to this point.

This is the last chapter, it's rather short and it's more of an epilogue to the whole story. Have a good read.

* * *

**The Meaning of Us**

**Chapter 6  
**

**By: Caelion**

Nanoha opened her eyes, lazily looking around. The bed she was lying in was empty so she assumed that her other half had already took their daughter and left to work. The brunette stretched lightly and felt how sore her body was after the last night. The memory came back to her, making her blush and smile at the thought alone. Yes, there happened a lot in the last evening. Her girlfriend came back home, informing that she got a promotion, so Nanoha treated her to a fancy dinner and then... things turned into an entirely different direction.

The brunette looked at her watch. It was already 9am and, because of some minor renovation works in her own office, she had a whole day free. But just sitting alone in her house was not something she wanted to do, waiting for her significant other's come back, so she decided to take care of a few things she planned to do some time before.

Nanoha started her day in a pretty standard way, washing her face, then making her favourite sweet sandwiches for breakfast and a large cup of green tea, humming cheerily during that. Next, after picking out some clothes, she went to a bathroom and started combing her long, brown hair, spotting some split ends by the way. Making a mental note to call her hairdresser later, she tied her hair into an off-centred ponytail and started to put a light make up. After that, just a little bit of perfume was all that was left and she was ready for the day.

Shopping was the first thing of Nanoha's 'to-do' list. Except for a few things from a grocery shop she needed, for the bigger shopping was something she usually did with her girlfriend, she wanted to go to a jewellery shop on the other side of the city. She opened a garage and sat in her brand new, fancy car her mothers bought her in reward for finishing her studies with great marks and getting a work she dreamt of for a long time. The car was in Nanoha's favourite colours, white and blue, and, what was the most important for the brunette, it was incredibly comfortable inside.

The grocery shop was the girl's first stop. Buying some things for a dinner didn't take her too long so, after fifteen minutes, she was sitting inside her car again. The jewellery shop, owned by her friend, was Nanoha's next destination and probably the most important one. She had only a few days left to her and her girlfriend's anniversary and she needed to finally choose a proper gift for her other half. However, the task wasn't easy at all. After spending almost an hour in the shop, Nanoha still couldn't decide what to buy. She had picked out a few things but in the end she wasn't sure so she gave herself another day to think about it.

After coming back home, Nanoha started cleaning. Her daughter's birthday also was coming near so she expected their family and friends paying them a visit soon. The house the brunette was living in was quite large, located on the city's outskirts, making her surroundings peaceful and quiet. Tidying and cleaning such a big mansion was a rather difficult thing to do for only one person. But on the other hand, Nanoha assumed that her girlfriend would be tired after coming back from work so the brunette wanted to do everything herself. It was already 2pm by the time she finished. She had a while to rest before making a dinner for her fiancée.

Nanoha looked at a small, silver ring on her finger, gently stroking it in a caring manner, and smiled at the memory of her girlfriend proposing to her a few months ago. Although their marriage wasn't going to be 'official', they managed to arrange the wedding ceremony as if they were 'normal' couple. All of Nanoha's family and friends were invited and the girl couldn't help but get excited every time she thought how she would look like in a white wedding dress.

Yes, Nanoha was definitely living a happy life. She had a great work and loving people surrounding her. Was there something else she could long for? She went to a living room and looked at an impressive collection of photographs decorating the walls. Photos of her with her girlfriend, with her daughter, with both of them, the brunette's friends and family. She moved to the last one, picked it up and touched the glass dividing her and a young-looking, blond-haired girl on the paper. "It's been so long, Fate-chan..." She said silently to herself, smiling lightly, when the memories of her teenage years spent with her sister came back to her. Nanoha caressed the frame gently before putting the picture of sixteen-years old Fate back on the wall and sitting on a large, black couch. She stretched again and laid down. A few minutes of sleep before making dinner wouldn't hurt. She closed her eyes.

* * *

"Nanoha?!" Fate exclaimed, opening her eyes sharply. Had she fallen asleep? The blonde found herself still in her sister's room, lying on her bed and covered with blanket, but the brunette was nowhere to be seen. It was already evening, the sky behind the window was turning more and more red and the house was filled with disturbing silence. Fate stood up and went to the bathroom to wash her face. A feeling of cold water made her awake and more conscious of what was happening around her. Then a vivid memory of what happened a few hours ago hit her hard and painfully. She pressed her fingers to her lips, leaning back on the wall. She had kissed her sister. Not once, not twice but many times. She was the one who initiated their frantic make out session. And she liked it. She could admit that she was confused and surprised by her own acting but she liked it. But that was not what she was concerned with. Nanoha was the biggest of her worries. Had she scarred the girl with her behaviour? Or worse, had she unwittingly hurt her? The blonde scolded herself mentally for not thinking about it _before_ she acted.

So where was Nanoha? The last thing Fate remembered was the sound of the crying girl and the warmth of her body as they were lying on the bed, hugging each other tightly. She really must had fallen asleep at some point and Nanoha used it to sneak out of the room. Fear arose in Fate when she realised that the girl might had done something stupid because of the blonde's earlier excess. Quickly, she left the bathroom and went back to the brunette's, still empty, room. She had to find her sister as fast as possible.

Fate checked the garden and, when she found no one there, she went to the kitchen, her own room and then to the living-room. Her mothers were already there, which also meant that she had probably missed her dinner. "Have you seen Nanoha?" Fate asked as soon as she entered the room, frantically looking around.

"Fate?" Precia turned her head towards her daughter. "Were you at home all the time?"

"Huh?" The blonde gave the woman a surprised look. Something was wrong, she felt it clearly. "I was sleeping in Nanoha's room. Why are you asking?"

"We thought that you went together." Momoko answered, making Fate only more confused.

"Went where?" The girl asked, the situation began to twist dangerously and the blonde didn't like it.

"To the post office." Precia explained. "To send Nanoha's application to the college."

Fate's heart started to beat faster and she felt an unpleasant feeling in her stomach. "She went..." The blonde started but couldn't finish. Why? She thought that the problem was solved, that Nanoha was going to stay with her. She gave her mothers a scarred and questioning look. Precia just nodded her head, pointing at the door and Fate instantly got the message.

She ran to the front door, changing her boots quickly, and then to the street. Where was the nearest post office? She stopped, trying to catch her breath while thinking desperately where Nanoha could go. She didn't know when her sister left, she could had already get there. Fate assumed that the brunette went to the city centre, there was a certain way they liked to walk together from time to time and Nanoha was most likely to go there. The blonde ran as fast as she could, trying to avoid colliding with other people. Although she had rather liked her physical education classes in high school, in that moment she lost her breath pretty quickly. But the sheer fear of loosing her sister was making her push further so she didn't stop. She didn't stop even though her legs started to hurt so badly that she could barely run, she didn't stop when her own hair and sweat were almost covering her eyes. And then she saw her.

Nanoha was standing on a wide bridge, leaning on the railing and looking at the water. Her gaze wandering somewhere far, far away from her. Fate stopped finally a few meters from her, breathing heavily, almost spitting her lungs when she got a serious coughing fit. The brunette, hearing her sister, slowly turned to her, surprised and compassionate in the same time. "Why?" Fate stammered, looking at the brunette with her red eyes, clearly expressing her sadness. Then, she spotted a letter in Nanoha's hand. So she hadn't sent it yet. The blonde wanted to let out a sigh of relief but was stopped by her sister's words.

"I don't want to push you into this, Fate-chan." She said, sadly but firmly. "You know what's going to happen if people get to know the true nature of our relationship. Some may accept it and... some may not."

The blonde clenched her fists. So now it was the main reason. "You don't push me into anything." Fate answered with apparent determination. "I am the one willing to be with you," She continued when Nanoha couldn't find her words to answer. "Why won't you give it a chance?" The blonde raised her voice but it was obvious that she was going to loose her self control in a matter of minutes. "You are so selfish, Nanoha," The brunette's eyes widened but it didn't stop Fate. "Not because you love me, but because you want to take this burden alone!" She was already at the edge. "Why do you have to act this way?! Why do you want to push away everyone who tries to help you?!" She exclaimed, clenching both of her fists so tightly that her nails left white marks on them. Then, she took a few deep breaths and only a surprised look on Nanoha's face made her realise that she went too far. "I'm sorry." Fate looked down and leaned on the railing, next to her sister, gazing at the water beneath the bridge.

Nanoha's expression turned to her normal one again. Fate's words were powerful, but it was not enough to convince the girl. "Fate-chan," She started, shyly reaching out her hand to pat the blonde's arm. "Thank you," She said with an honest voice. "Thank you for all your efforts."

"You still don't believe me, do you?" Fate asked, sighing loudly. Why was the brunette so stubborn?

"I do, Fate-chan, but..." Nanoha stopped, turning her head in a different direction. "You deserve a normal life, you don't need people calling you 'freak' or laughing at your... preferences."

"I believe that it's my decision to make." The blonde responded with somewhat cold tone, but still showing her concern about her sister. This whole situation was starting to annoy her, not because she had to go out of her way for Nanoha, but because the brunette was finding more and more things that Fate hadn't really thought about before. And the worst thing was that the girl was right. At least in most of them. The blonde wasn't particularly concerned with strangers' opinions but it was true that living in a romantic relationship with her own sister could make their lives very complicated.

"It is, Fate-chan," Nanoha gently put her hand on top of Fate's. "But I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if you were to waste your life because of me-"

"My life will be wasted _without _you!" Fate shouted, it was enough for her. The brunette stepped back a little, looking at her feet. "What do I need to do to make you finally realise that?" The blonde was always calm and composed but things Nanoha was saying in that moment were just about to drive her crazy. "How can I convince you?" She asked a lot more silently. "Do you want me to kiss you again?" She asked honestly. No sarcasm, no teasing.

Nanoha took it as an obvious joke. She giggled and smiled finally. "You know, Fate-chan, I wouldn't mind it but-" She didn't finish. Fate didn't let her. The blonde pulled the girl closer and kissed her passionately. Definitely not in the way that most of sisters do. Her action gathered attention of most of passer-bys on the bridge. Nanoha looked at them with a corner of her eye, seeing some of them talking with themselves silently, some of them just watching. When Fate pulled back, Nanoha was only able to stare blankly into the blonde's beautiful eyes.

"Please, Nanoha," Fate broke the silence between them. "Please believe me. And believe in my feelings."

Nanoha couldn't respond, still shocked, her mind trying to analyse everything that happened a while ago. Fate cupped her cheek and gave the brunette another kiss, this time slow and gentle. Nanoha closed her eyes. The touch of her sister's lips on her own took her to another world, filled with incredible warmth and bliss. And when it ended, she suddenly felt so lost. Nanoha felt a wave of tears coming closer and she couldn't take it any more. "Fate-chan!" She threw herself into the blonde's open arms, crying loudly. "Fate-chan!" She repeated, feeling the blonde's fingers combing her hair. "Fate-chan..." Her voice got weaker. "I'm so sorry..."

"I love you, Nanoha," Fate gave the brunette a kiss on her head. "I always will." She hugged her tightly. A rather large group of people was surrounding them, Fate looked around and saw many smiles, even hearing a few congratulations. And she couldn't help but smile on her own. Her heart was beating so fast, filled with hope and love she didn't even know about the day before. "Let's go home, Nanoha." Fate spoke gently, wiping her sister's tears and slowly leading her to their house.

Nanoha obeyed without any complaint. She felt ashamed that she made the blonde do so many things for her. And then she realised that they had just solved the problem Nanoha was trying to get rid of for last four years. The thought made her cheer up instantly and instead of thinking how stupid she was, she started to wonder about the best way to make up for the mess she made. And then she was hit by another issue. The problem that was the final one to solve before she could ease her mind. "Fate-chan..." Yes, she definitely should be the one asking this question. "In that case, will you be my girlfriend?" She spoke the last words shyly, almost in fearful manner.

"Of course I will." Fate's answer was fast and simple. She had already made up her mind. She wanted to share the rest of her life with Nanoha and, if the brunette was also willing to do so, there was nothing that could stop her. And when a group of guys tried to ask them out, she got rid of them so fast, that even her sister was amazed.

"You're possessive, Fate-chan." Nanoha accused with fake pout but smiled, seeing a little jealous expression on the blonde's face.

"I know." Fate put her hand around the brunette and pulled her closer. "If it's you then I want you to be mine and only mine." She stated and her cheeks became a little red. It was a bit embarrassing statement, even after kissing her sister in public.

"Thank you, Fate-chan." Nanoha leaned her head on Fate's arm as they were walking back home. "I love you too." Then, she remembered about the letter she was still holding. She looked at it one more time and, seeing her sister staring at it, she tore it into small pieces. Soon everything would change. For worse or for better – It didn't matter to them as long as they were together.

* * *

A sound of opening the front door woke Nanoha up from her dream. She rubbed her eyes and looked at her watch, sighing. It was already 5pm, had she slept _that_ long? She was supposed to be making dinner at that moment. She wanted to stand up but a pair of hands wrapped around her neck, not allowing her to do so. She felt familiar scent and a smile appeared on her face. The brunette closed her eyes, tilting cutely her head and her lips met with her girlfriend's. A sweet kiss after waking up was something she missed since that morning.

"Have you slept well?" The girl asked.

"Um, I did." Nanoha stood up finally and turned around, leaning on the couch. "Welcome home, Fate-chan."

"I'm home, Nanoha." Fate smiled warmly and gave her sister another kiss, this time not only longer and deeper, but also interrupted by a small girl who entered the room after a while.

"Nanoha-mama!" The child hugged the brunette's leg tightly.

"Vivio," Nanoha picked her daughter up and gave her a kiss on a cheek. "How was your school today?"

A large smile appeared on Vivio's face as she threw her arms around her mother's neck. "Great!" She exclaimed. "Can I invite my friends to come to my birthday party?" She looked at the woman with her pleading, red and green eyes which neither Nanoha, nor Fate could resist.

"Of course you can." Nanoha answered with a mild voice and Fate just giggled, seeing the brunette giving up so easily to something so small and cute. Then again, Vivio wasn't their biological daughter and her life before meeting the two sisters wasn't easy at all. They had found her on a street, dirty and scarred. It came out that her parents died in a burglary a few years ago and she hadn't had any family to take care of her. On top of that, she had ran away from her substitute family in which she was treated as a third wheel. Nanoha's heart almost broke after seeing little Vivio's hard situation so, along with Fate, she decided to take care of her. With some help of the local police, she became the girl's official mother while Fate took the role of her godmother.

Vivio got much love from her new family. Her mothers took their new responsibilities very seriously while her grandmothers couldn't be more happy when they got to know that they had a new family member. Everyone decided to keep Nanoha and Fate's sisterhood a secret from the child. That knowledge, however, was going to be passed to the girl in the right time.

Nanoha turned to Fate, also kissing the blonde on the cheek. "Thanks for picking Vivio from school."

Fate just smiled and hugged both her fiancée and her daughter. Nanoha leaned her head on her sister's arm, sighing contently, when her gaze stopped at a certain picture. "It's been so long, Fate-chan..." She said silently, closing her eyes.

"Since when?" Fate asked curiously, kissing Nanoha's head, then Vivio's forehead.

The brunette giggled lightly and, covering her daughter's eyes, she gave Fate a quick peck on the lips, whispering to her ear. "Since I've fallen in love with you."

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you for reading this, if you have some suggestions, that could help me with becoming a better writer, don't be afraid to voice them. I appreciate every constructive criticism you can give me.

And the story is over, if you liked it and want to read more, don't be afraid, this is not the end. I came to like this setting even more than at the beginning and it's very possible that I'll write a one shot or two about Nanoha and Fate's life after the change from 'sisters' to 'lovers'.

For now, I have an M rated story planned, it will be called "Breaking the Ice" and it's going to be about their first time. I also want to use it as an opportunity to close some threads I had to leave here so you can expect some plot mixed with gentle lovemaking, nothing too graphic or explicit. How do you like the idea?

One more time, thank you, check my profile for updates regarding new stories and 'till the next time.


End file.
